이전 정서연구에서는 다양한 정서유발자극을 이용한 정서 차원 연구들을 통해 쾌불쾌 차원(valence)과 각성 차원 (arousal)이란 두 가지의 핵심정서(core affect) 차원을 밝혔다. 최근 등장한 ASMR은 심리적 안정감, 편안함 등의 정서를 유발하는데, 이런 새로운 자극 또한 핵심정서차원에 위치하는지, 사람들에게 일으키는 정서표상은 어떤 양상 을 보이는지 확인하고자 하였다. 본 연구는 3가지 정서유형(부정, 중립, 긍정)으로 구분한 ASMR 영상을 자극으로 사용하였다. 연구1에서는 청각 ASMR, 연구2에서는 청각 및 시청각 ASMR을 자극으로 사용하였고, 각 자극마다 10가지의 형용사에 대해 5점 리커트 척도로 정서경험을 보고받았다. 자료수집 이후 다차원척도법과 분류분석을 실시 하였다. 다차원척도법 결과, 청각 및 시청각 ASMR 모두 핵심정서차원인 쾌불쾌 차원에서 잘 구분되었다. 분류분석 결과, 동일한 감각양상 및 서로 다른 감각양상의 ASMR에 대한 참가자 개인의 정서표상 구분과 참가자들간 정서표 상 구분이 잘 이뤄졌다. 종합적으로 본 연구는 다른 정서유발자극들과 같이 ASMR 또한 핵심정서차원에 위치한다는 것을 시사한다는 점에서 기존의 Russell(1980)의 핵심정서차원 이론을 지지한다. 또한, 감각양상에 상관없이 ASMR 에 대한 참가자 개인의 정서표상이 예측가능하며, 참가자들의 정서표상이 일관적이라는 점을 시사한다.

Recently, as the development of media contents accelerated, auditory-based contents, especially ASMR, has been taking center stage in its field than visual-based contents. They are meaningful in a way that they are alternative contents that suggest a new space and possibility through aural stimulation, getting out from the boundary of excessive visual stimulation of existing media. According to Jang, Park, & Lyou (2016), ASMR is originally the abbreviation of a medical term, ‘Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response’. However in 2010, Jennifer Allen for the first time presented the definition that ‘ASMR is a specific sound that gives pleasure', and recently it is used as a coined word among young people rather than medical terminology (Jang, Park,& Lyou, 2016). Consumers listen to ASMR for stress relief, psychological stabilization, and relaxation through repeated, constant sound triggers (Zhang, 2015). The triggers used in ASMR marketing draw a stronger commitment within the consumers, by accompanying visual stimuli consistent with auditory stimuli (Sim, 2014). As reported by Hong (2017), commitment is a state of sensorial arousal when a person is totally lost in something and among all affective commitment relieves stress and enhances enjoyment; therefore raises quality of life and helps to live a rich life (Hong, 2017). This shows that there is a close relationship between satisfaction and enjoyment about experiences of ASMR content that leads to commitment, and such phenomenon creates a state of immersion that collapses the distinction between consumers’ past, present and future. Throughout the process, consumers meet the chance to recall the familiar sound that they have experienced in the past, and therefore remind of nostalgia on it (Zhang, 2015). Belk (1990), within the view of marketing, referred to the conceptual definition of nostalgia as a kind of longing atmosphere promoted by sensory stimuli such as scene, smell, and music. Zhang (2015) says that one of the important factors that cause nostalgia is sound, and one calls of the past through a specific sound which is an external stimulus – ASMR is included in it. Consumers can acquire prior knowledge of the brand while enjoying ASMR contents, and they can even have indirect experiences without having direct experiences of actually purchasing or wearing products. This helps to inspire the expertise of the product, and also plays a role in shaping positive consumption emotion such as pleasure and sensibility (Yang, 2016). Fashion products, especially, are more sensible than general consumer goods and due to excessive diversity of products, rational and deliberate purchasing rarely happen. Thus, consumers can build positive brand equity through ASMR marketing by learning specialized knowledge about products that could not be obtained from other marketing. In this study, we propose the new compound word ‘ASMR marketing,’ which combines marketing with the definition of ASMR of the coined term. Electronic word of mouth(EWOM) by ASMR marketing is a process in which the consumers communicate about product information and usage in the online community without the intervention of the seller. Through the characteristics of electronic word of mouth and ASMR, it is easy to infiltrate into daily life of the consumers and easily imprint the individuality of the brand to them (Wang, 2015). Although ASMR appears in ads of HeatTech and AIRism of UNIQLO, a fashion brand, ASMR triggers are not used as a background music and narration. In fashion industry, the use of sounds from the production process of fashion products, or the sounds that occur when wearing them, highlights professionalism and stimulates nostalgia by attracting consumers' emotional commitment. In addition, when ASMR marketing is applied to a luxury brand rather than SPA brand, expertise can be emphasized more effectively. ASMR has been spreading like a fashion in recent years, and marketing of ASMR in fashion brands has not yet been researched actively. The purposes of this study are: first, to analyze significant meaning and value of ASMR in auditory sense field in modern days; second, to identify the characteristics of ASMR marketing through emotional commitment and nostalgia; third, to investigate the effect of ASMR marketing on consumers. Although ASMR, therefore, is used only as a mitigation tool in medical field, this study combines media and marketing with ASMR, suggests it as a tool to enhance the profitability and brand equity of fashion brand. This study would help shape the trend of new culture by collaborating ASMR marketing with fashion brand. Furthermore, a cornerstone of related research can be established by presenting a causal relationship that emotional commitment affects nostalgia and brand equity. This study will be able to offer fashion companies diverse ways to establish ASMR marketing strategy.