Zippo has safely left the unmistakable lighter click as an ear tag

The "click" of the Zippo lighter is now officially one of the most distinctive sounds in the world. The trademark was initially protected in the USA, but other markets are set to follow. This is in recognition of Zippo's production process, which creates this unique sound synonymous with the storm lighter. It joins other exclusive sound marks - the mockingjay whistle from "The Hunger Games" and the famous lion roar from MGM.

Zippo also permeated all areas of pop culture in 2018 - most recently the global phenomenon of ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response). ASMR content, characterized by sounds or visual motifs, has taken the world by storm and flooded YouTube with videos of sensory stimulus-inducing sounds: from recordings of whispering voices and amplified sounds of everyday objects to eerie ice crushing and the stroking of fluffy pillows.

Fans and collectors of Zippo lighters know the feeling of flicking open the lid and igniting the flame. ASMR creators and the community are now going one step further and using Zippo lighters to excite the ears of their listeners. As the Zippo lighter has appeared in ASMR content around the world and to celebrate the news regarding the trademark, Zippo and BuzzFeed entered into a cooperation to further research the trend.

Exclusively available on BuzzFeed's YouTube channel from Wednesday. These show the first experiences of Zippo lovers as they produce their own ASMR content, creating triggers that affect people on a very individual level.

Lucas Johnson, Senior Brand Manager in Global Marketing at Zippo, explains in a press release: "People have recognized the unmistakable "click" of a Zippo lighter for decades. Now a new study has found that more than three-quarters of adults can instantly recognize the sound. Being granted the trademark in recognition of our acoustic recognition feature is an exciting time for our company."