Peak Boring

Why are the most mundane videos continuing to capture consumer attention?

And why does it matter for marketers?

Stop Stimulating Me!

Modern life runs like Usain Bolt, bombarding us with more and more information. Even if it’s ‘fake’ and the star of the video is actually trying to sell us something, we probably don’t care (or even think about it) because we just want to switch off for a hot minute.

Relatable AF

We all love seeing social posts where we can internally shout, ‘It’s me!’ like a hardcore Swiftie. This is similar to the sludge content/ stimtock multiple-videos-in-one content that has been popular in the last six months. It works best when it includes familiar references like nostalgic computer games and clips from The Simpsons or Family Guy.

Soothe Me

Some of the most popular YouTube accounts are just blatant ASMR, and people can’t seem to get enough of it. ‘Peak Boring’ is perhaps the culmination of the long-term ASMR trend; the duller the content, the more soothing it is.

Why does this matter for marketers?

There is a lot of consumer attention here so brands should leverage it. It could be playing with speed by slowing short-form video to a farcical level. Maybe it’s a search for the most boring way to consume a certain product. Or it could just be playing with the sludge content theme to crowbar even more videos into one frame.