Hydraulic presses and other "oddly satisfying" contentBy Amber

Oddly satisfying videos have become one of the biggest content genres on the internet. On TikTok, the #oddlysatisfying tag has racked up over 140.8 billion views. For context, that’s around 18 video views for every person on the planet.

Smart brands have jumped on this trend for their own social strategy and it has proven to be a major success for businesses in those “boring” industries.Videos from @thep00lguy on TikTok, like this one of him taking a swimming pool from green to clean, have amassed millions of views and an audience of 14.5+ million.

The Hydraulic Press Channel—while not technically set-up for brand marketing purposes—is a textbook example for anyone working in the machinery biz. Turns out, hydraulic presses + everyday objects = the stuff of content magic. Their YouTube channel has 9.5M+ subscribers, they have 2.6M+ followers on Instagram and 14.3M+ followers on TikTok.

Now, if you’ve been in the digital marketing space for *ahem* a while, you might remember a certain brand that revolutionised this type of content. First launched in October 2006(!!) Blendtec’s “Will it blend?” series was on nearly every marketing team’s radar. They blended everything from iPhones to crowbars, just to prove how powerful their product could be. As a result of this one idea, their sales skyrocketed by 700%.

What this type of content proves is that the elements of your business that seem boring to you, could be completely novel to your audience. It’s why there are 21.9M+ views on this 60 second video of a man cleaning a rug. Or why this compilation of a metal shredder has over 41 million views.

If you’re looking for a content idea that demands little production (but has the potential to take your social channels to new heights oddly satisfying videos could be just the thing.

Dive deeper 🤿

꩜ Blendtec Founder, Tom Dickson, talks about the success of “Will it blend?”

꩜ Get content inspo from the original /oddlysatisfying subreddit

꩜ An interview with Lauri and Anni Vuohensilta from The Hydraulic Press Channel

꩜ Wightlink Ferry pokes fun at the ASMR trend (and ends up getting featured on ITV)

꩜ The psychology behind oddly satisfying videos

Insights from the team

Watch the video : Our take on the satisfying / ASMR trend

In the pool with…Armin Ulrich from Placid

Armin’s the Founder of Placid.app—a toolkit that helps brands streamline their content with dynamic templates. In this blog, he explains how any brand can use ASMR videos to their advantage. So, of course, we had to ask him about it…

👉 Follow Armin on X

In a sentence or two, describe your idea about how brands can use oddly satisfying content?

Brands can remix existing content (such as podcast highlights or educational videos) with oddly satisfying content to increase viewer retention and tap into current trends.

What are some examples of ASMR videos that brands could pair with their own content?

• Gameplay videos
• Closeups of people or machines cutting, squishing or crumpling things
• Closeups of people baking, building legos, sewing, painting, crafting

Why do you think ASMR videos are so successful?

ASMR videos are the brain tickles of the internet. They’re like a sensory escape for people, offering some form of relaxation and entertainment.

Have you seen an example of a brand using ASMR content really well?

IKEA's "Oddly IKEA" campaign is a great example. They combined ASMR with visuals of their products being assembled, creating an experience that was as engaging as brand-centric.

Finally, what advice would you give to brands that are going to start applying this ASMR strategy to their social channels?

If you’re sourcing ASMR content, don’t overthink it—just go with the trends that are currently hitting the mark.

If you’re creating ASMR content of your own, think about how you can make it more on-brand. For example: If you sell art suppliers, create an ASMR video with the sound of brushstrokes. Or if you’re a drinks brand, the fizz of a beverage.

Content idea of the week 💡

Create an oddly satisfying video for your brand or a video that pokes fun at the oddly satisfying trend (like Wightlink Ferry)

That's our wrap up on the oddly satisfying trend. Now all that's left to do is start experimenting!