Emotional side-effects

Sometimes videos elicit emotions that the creator didn’t try to evoke nor thought of. Let’s call them emotional side effects.

​The youtube channel Rescue & Store is about the process of restoring old toys. The creator is clearly passionate about it, seeing his craft and skills.

The channel is quite new, though each uploaded video already reached more than millions of views. And - at this time of writing - roughly half a million people subscribed to the channel. Clearly people love watching the process. But not because they are necessarily as passionate about renovation as the creator. Of course, it’s a joy to see a classic old rusted toy like an airplane coming back to life and you can’t wait to see the end result. Other than it gives you that joy, these videos also give a feeling of satisfaction and moreover a feeling of relaxation. I must confess, I watched many of the videos of this channel and though the videos are around 15 minutes or longer, I kept watching them without skipping a moment nor fast-forwarding to the end result.

According to the several comments underneath the videos, it works better than AMSR videos and even a person suffering from PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - uses the videos to calm down on a “bad day”.

Though, as with AMSR videos, in this case it’s not so much about the sounds. Focusing on the sounds of sanding, planing, cutting and sawing would be very disturbing, just as a dental drill can be. Moreover there isn’t any music accompanying these videos. So no, these videos aren’t there to be listened. These videos are there to be watched. To see the rust dissapear by sandblasting. To watch the powder paint ‘melt’ into a nice and perfect color coating in the oven.
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So what actually happens here?
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​The real reason is that DIY or bricolage has always been known to have a relaxing effect on people. Using your hands and diving into something knowing that it will end up looking better is very satisfying. And this effect expands from doing it yourself to watching someone else performing it. People love watching makeover programs, from style makeovers to home makeovers. It's a source of inspiration for most, but it also reflects the satisfaction one gets watching it. 
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The important take-away from this is that content still rules. Don't just see your videos solely as a means to sell your services or products. Your videos can be products themselves. They can be informative, educational, or in this case a way to relax people.

Branded content can be a great way to reach your customer. 

For now, if you are more a visual person than an auditory person, skip the AMSR videos and tap into “VSMR’. Watch and get calm.