The Funny Ads’ Business
‘Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious’.
A few months ago, I was pitching an idea for a client. He loved the concept and the creative interpretation, but asked me with a serious look on his face: “Can we make it funny?”
A few months ago, I was pitching an idea for a client. He loved the concept and the creative interpretation, but asked me with a serious look on his face: “Can we make it funny?”
I did not mind his question nor got surprised when he asked it in the first place, because in our sarcastically funny country, humor in advertising has become another “good” practice. The “goodness” of the practice is certainly undeniable, but the actual execution leaves room for questioning.
Who doesn’t like to laugh and be entertained by a joke, a concept, a visual or a message? Humor appeals to everybody especially in Lebanon; it’s probably one of the few common things the Lebanese share, away from their gender, age, social, political, and religious differences. The humor flag seems to unite us all.
“Comedy is acting out optimism.” Robin Williams.
Even though humor is favorably perceived because it’s a positive concept by itself, some big advertising schools discourage using it in ads for several reasons, claiming it could harm the brand if wrongly adapted, thus jeopardizing its seriousness in consumers’ minds.
My 15 years and counting in the advertising industry have made me choose another path. I believe in humor as a highly efficient way to convey promotional messages. But there’s a catch: it needs to be structured and purposeful in order to generate the desired consumer reaction.
A recent study published in the Journal of Marketing examined the effects of humor on advertising, highlighting that 'humor is more likely to enhance recall, evaluation, and purchase intention when the humorous message is well-integrated, coincides with the ad objectives, and is viewed as appropriate for the product category. Under such circumstances, humorous advertising is more likely to secure audience attention, increase memorability, overcome sales resistance, and enhance message persuasiveness.'
In fact, humor has proven having a positive impact on persuasiveness, as humorous versions of messages seem to be more effective than “drier” versions. That’s why it comes as no surprise that advertising campaigns with top-of-mind recall are mostly funny ones.
Because people are constantly bombarded with ads, they tend to develop a negative reaction towards commercials, a concept better known in the communication industry as “info-resistance”. But when humor is well integrated and properly adapted to the ad, it largely favors the ad’s reception by the consumer, allowing it to stand out, break the “info-resistance” and become widely accepted and perceived as “funny”. Thus, humor allows the creation of an instantly positive connection with the audience so that the desired message is smoothly conveyed. If mastered, humor offers the audience an incentive to become responsive. It facilitates the message comprehension process and improves advertising effectiveness while bridging a familiar bond between the consumer and the brand.
But I am not here to convince you of adopting or disregarding humor in your campaigns, but rather to offer practical tips for those amongst you who favor the use of humor in advertising. Based on my own personal experience and several industry researches, an ad is 10 steps away from being funny.
1. You’re a Sales Person
You should never forget that we’re sales people, not only creative minds. Your funny idea has to sell and not just hang there on the wall of creativity staring at us with wide-open eyes and a drooling mouth. People should buy what you are saying so that they end up buying what you are selling. It’s great if you can achieve brand awareness, but what is more important is to drive a consumer to adopt the brand.
2. Use humor not jokes
A funny joke is funny the first time you hear it, the second time maybe and the third time… well, if it’s really funny and you’re saying it to a different crowd! After that it will become oblivious. An advert based on humor however, will continuously be enjoyed no matter how many times you hear it or see it. It might even get funnier with repetition.
3. It’s hilarious!!!! …. What’s the brand again?
As a general rule you should always sell the product not your ad. A good ad is the one that does that without shedding too much light on itself. So the next time you base your advertising on humor, make sure that the brand or the product in question is at the center of your idea. The Carlton Draught - Beer Chase TV commercial is a good example of how sometimes we forget the brand to focus on humor. You’d be surprised how many ads running on our screens do not respect this basic idea. You might watch a 30 second ad, and the only time you see or hear the brand’s name or anything related to it is during the last 5 seconds dedicated to the pack shot. In that case, the chances to remember the ad and forget the brand are pretty high.
4. Treat your brand with respect
Do not kill the brand. It’s crucial not to make fun of the product but to have fun with it. You’re not likely to see your client laughing when you’re laughing at his brand. Let the viewer smile or laugh at the funny concept or situation, not the brand itself. Remember that the humorous story that will evolve around your brand should be used to convey a positive message and achieve positive results on all levels.
5. Humor is not “key-to-all-doors”
As mentioned earlier, humor has become a trend in the Lebanese advertising Industry. Everyone’s using it to highlight their products, regardless of whether humor is suitable and appropriate for the brand’s image or not. Is humor a smart choice for developing a bank’s corporate campaign? Probably not.
6. What’s funny to me might not be funny to you
Humor is subjective. As it is the case with any form of art, acceptance depends on social factors and varies from one person to another. The American sense of humor in advertising for example is totally different from the European or Middle-Eastern one. Each culture has its own perception of humor. When using humor, keep in mind that different things are funny to different people. What makes me laugh won’t necessarily make you. Consider focus groups before running your “funny” ad, if you have the luxury of time and money. Bad humor is indeed a killer, literally!
7. There’s a thin line between “funny” and “ridicule”
Throughout history, comedy has been used as a form of entertainment all over the world, whether in the courts of the Western kings or the villages of the Far East. Both social manners and intelligence can be reflected through wit and sarcasm. Eighteenth-century German author Georg Lichtenberg said that "the more you know humor, the more you become demanding in fineness”. Use smart witty humor that has meaning; your humor must be geared towards specific communication goals and compliant with the nature of the product, type of medium, target audience, and message conveyed. Think about what you want to say, why, where, when and how to say it before you decide to adopt a condescending approach as a humoristic process to force humor or desperately seek to impress the viewer.
8. You think you’re funny?
“All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl.” Charlie Chaplin.
If you think you're Bart Simpsons or your friends go around saying how funny you are, that doesn't mean you're talented enough to write and produce funny ads that appeal to everybody. Comedy is an art by itself that requires a lot of talent especially when it’s about creative writing. Make sure you’re up to the level or simply get someone who’s good at it, knows what he’s doing and how to do it right. Creating humor is not as easy as telling a joke.
If you think you're Bart Simpsons or your friends go around saying how funny you are, that doesn't mean you're talented enough to write and produce funny ads that appeal to everybody. Comedy is an art by itself that requires a lot of talent especially when it’s about creative writing. Make sure you’re up to the level or simply get someone who’s good at it, knows what he’s doing and how to do it right. Creating humor is not as easy as telling a joke.
9. Get Woody Allen on the phone!
Once you have that lollapalooza concept in hands, make sure you pick the right people to bring it to life. It all comes down to the ad director. Find that particular one who knows how to pick a cast and bring the best out of each actor. He should work closely with the art director to create the best setup to convey the desired mood, and guide the director of photography to capture the right shots from the best angles.
10. Hand-pick your medium
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? What good can you get out of a funny ad if no one is around to see it and laugh at it? That’s why it’s essential to select the right medium that will best deliver your humorous message. If your TV commercial doesn’t look as funny in print media, drop the print.
Now go and work your magic!
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