Transfer of Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) to Relationship Marketing: Potential Effects on Perceived Customer Intimacy

Abstract ASMR has attracted considerable attention in social media and advertising practices, but it lacks empirical investigation within marketing science. This study suggests applying ASMR in the design of interactions in relationships between organizations and customers in order to shorten spatial distance evoked by digitization. This experimental study comprises the first empirical investigation of ASMR in the context of relationship marketing with a focus on perceived customer intimacy. The findings demonstrate that the level of perceived customer intimacy depends on individuals’ extraversion and agreeableness, and ASMR may entail the ability to positively influence this intimacy, but is influenced by further variables.