Imagine a thin line ofavocado slices that start curling inwards, rolling together and taking shape of a flower, or a round jelly cake being divided by a ceramic knife into four pieces of equal size, so perfect that youdont even want to take a bite.

If you find these imagesrelaxing or tinglingly pleasurableto watch, you will like satisfying videos.

Satisfying video clips feature repetitive tasks, perfect patterns in motion or machinery processes being completed in slow motion, with relaxing music. On Instagram, there are more than 265,000 posts under the hashtag #satisfyingvideos and as of writing, another 13 have jumped up within just two minutes, according to social analytics firm Brandwatch. On Reddit, there are active subreddits, mildlysatisfying and oddlysatisfying, where users discuss their favorite hypnotic videos and GIFs. And on Twitter, celebrities like Chrissy Teigen are mesmerized by those clips.

Publishers who are pursing views are aware of this trend. BuzzFeed, for instance, has been curating satisfying videos from Instagram and YouTube, churning out articles with headlines 11 oddly satisfying videos that will calm youdown and This video of things melting is the most satisfying thing youll see all day.

The reason for the rise of these videos isnt known. But these are times in serious need of zen, and people will take it where they can get it.

Naturally, brands want in. Recently, agency Arnold Worldwide created a painting video series called Color Theory to promote telecom company CenturyLinks new service Prism TV. Those slow-motion clips are close-ups of artist and Instagram influencer Annette Labedzki creating different colors blue, pink, orange and green with a painting spatula.

We know that color mixing is trendy on Instagram. I think the slow nature of those videos are different from what you typically see in your news feed, said Juliet Tierney, manager of social and content systems for Arnold. Those videos allow you to take a second out of your busy day and meditate. We are seeing a very strong completion rate.

While David Coomer, chief creative officer for agency Cornett, thinks that advertisers have always worked to have elements of satisfaction in their creative to make the communication intuitive and easy to connect on an emotional level. And from TV to billboards, Coca-Colas Taste The Feeling campaign could be one of the best uses of neuroscience in marketing. The photography is filled with happiness, the product looks tasty, even the sunlight showcases the brands iconic red while giving it a sense of warmth and playfulness, he said.

For R/GA managing director Chapin Clark, the most memorable advertising that applies the concept of satisfying videos is a series of banner ads for small publisher Seagull Books that he saw on the New York Times last summer.According to Clark, those banners were simply videos of seagulls on the beach, flapping their wings, looking off into the distance with the wind ruffling their feathers. There was no ad copy or description about specific book titles.

They were oddly hypnotic and weirdly funny, said Clark. I still remember them and the advertisers name, very clearly.

Satisfying videos look very familiar to ASMR content(which is short forautonomous sensory meridian response) thattake viewers to a calm and happy state through certain typesof soft sounds, including soft whispering and crinkling paper. Brands like KFC andDove chocolate have created ASMR ads to tout consumers.

Clark thinks that satisfying videos resonate with the viewers emotional position: People are tired of arguing about things or having a well-informed opinion about world events. In many cases, people dont have to have an option about everything. The internet can be a very contentious, scary and angry place, on a daily basis. Given the current political climate in the U.S., maybe now more than ever,according to Clark.

I think we all need a respite in our feeds every now and then, he said. These videos are fulfilling in themselves. There is no point-counterpoint. They just are.

Read the original:

Moment of monetized zen: Brands are cashing in on the new 'satisfying videos' craze - Digiday