By John Sisson (President)
Yes, the Super Bowl is over, and with it ends the hype over those Super Bowl Ads.
But, the story remains – with all this effort to inject humor into marketing, does it work?
Certainly, if social sharing and media coverage are any indication, it does… But doesn’t everything about the Super Bowl get shared and over hyped in the media?
If you have been under a rock for the month of February, let me give you a clue. Yes, it does!
So, what’s the case for humor anyway?
Damn it, we’re serious about our company! We sell serious products/services, and people should get serious.
Okay, maybe Honey Bunches of Oats is not all that serious, but I’m not talking about them, because there really is nothing serious about those crunchy clusters.
I need to take a commercial break here to allow my attorney to weigh in. She would like you to know that no matter what I say, the answer to the question of whether humor works in marketing is, “It depends”.
Standard lawyer answer #1, I know.
And, honestly, as much as it pains me not to follow Shakespeare’s advice and kill all the lawyers, she’s probably right.
If you remember Alan Alda, in Woody Allen’s movie Crimes and Misdemeanors, he was completely annoying in his portrayal of a successful comic, constantly talking about humor that bends but doesn’t break.
It’s in the way you do humor that makes it work.
Now, I’m not going to go all over-analyze-y on you. That’s what therapists are for. I do, however, want to promote humor in marketing, and although there are too many shout outs to name here, one recently struck me as worthy of note.
I was listening to the radio in my car recently. Yes, “classic rock”. Love 100.7 WZLX. I really need to grow up.
Anyway, on came an ad for Geico.
Now, originally, the Gecko was developed just so people could pronounce Geico properly, but we’ve moved past that. I’m not all that fond of the gecko, but on radio, as you may know, you can’t see who’s talking. The ad was funny in a clever, insouciant way.
Basically, Geico was promoting the idea that you could save money and now people are going to come out of the woodwork to borrow all that savings from you.
To quote noted neuroscientist and Professor of Psychology, Robert R. Provine from his book Laughter, “These hard data forced me to attend to new laugh phenomena, and prompted my reluctant metamorphosis from neuroscientist into social psychologist.”
Not sure this is particularly relevent, but I’m glad he said it.
I have no idea if Deedre Daniel had anything to do with this ad, but if her LinkedIn profile is any indication, she certainly gets humor. I’m giving her 100% credit.
The real point is, I still remember the ad, and it’s been a couple of weeks since I heard it. Humor works, and if it fits your brand, you shouldn’t be afraid to use it.
Oh, and I know you were concerned. Found my toothbrush. It was in the dog’s water bowl. Now both of us have minty fresh breath.
CONSIDER ALSO READING – To Fun, Or Not To Fun: That Is The Question
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