Fancy a Laugh?
Peter Dabell (CEO, Ace Matric) tells us âSome form of humor is used in one in five commercialsâ and âmost of the top Super Bowl ads of the last three years used humorâ.
Why? Because funny advertising lowers our guard and our resistance to âbeing soldâ, and we accept that in exchange for our attention we will be entertained. Yet, Nielsen research suggests there is âlittle correlation between humor and effectivenessâ, and indeed, it carries a risk of alienating some consumers.
For humorous advertising to have a chance of working it must tap one of the ten humor archetypes (*) that connects with human emotions. And the advertising must be built on substance with humor used as a supplement; funny is pointless without a clear association with the brand.
Which brand do you think has most effectively harnessed humor? Let us know. If your answer is the same as Ivan Wicksteed, Chief Marketing Officer of Old Navy and is selected from âcorrectâ responses, you will win three free career planning sessions in 2014.
Enjoy.
Stuart
Articles and commentary that might be of interest…
- Volkswagen Airs the Funniest Ad of the Year to Date
- Top 10 Funniest Ads 2013 YTD
- * Emotional Branding Tricks of Funniest Commercials: Using Exaggeration
- How Funny Advertising Lowers Our Guard
- Humor in Marketing: Why funny ads are more than a good joke
- Ha! Ads That Make You Laugh Donât Really Make You BuyÂ
- 40 Humorous Print Ads
- You Choose â The Funniest Viral Ad of The Year
- 10 of the funniest, perviest, dumbest, and strangest smartphone commercials
- The Secret Behind Oreo’s Social Media Marketing
The Age of a “Story Well Done”
A story is not just heard; it is experienced. And told well, they resonate â audiences connect with the content and can act upon it. But stories often fail to resonate though lack of: Credibility, Relevance or Impact.
Resonance is seldom achieved via mainstream media alone. Also needed today is third party referral by people who know you and your needs better than any corporate marketer. The consumers.
In his book âTrue Storyâ, Ty Montague introduces the idea of âstory doing.â Itâs not a new idea, but Montague explains the concept well: a product or service succeeds today not simply by pushing a story, but by engaging and motivating the audience from the very early stages of development. Facebook executives say such product evolution is âsocial by designâ, putting consumers at the center of building brands.
Mainstream is effective for generating awareness, but some âstory doingâ brands have evolved without ever using it: Starbucks, Amazon and Red Bull come to mind.
What do you think is the one factor preventing your client from being more of a âstory doer?â
Stuart
Articles and commentary that might be of interest…
- Where Does Your Brand Story Fall In The Storytelling Matrix?
- The Decline And Fall Of Product Placement
- Storytelling That Moves People
- How To Tell A Story With Data
- 5 Secrets To Use Storytelling For Brand Marketing Success
- Using Storytelling And Brand Values For Real Customer Engagement
- Brand Storytelling In 4 Steps
- Entrepreneurs Who Master Storytelling Win More
- Brand Storytelling And The Hero Of Your Brand
- Shared Values In Brand Storytelling
- The Drivers Of Brand Storytelling Strategy
- Coke, Nike Succeed With New Style Of Brand Story-Telling Online Add To …
- Case Study: The Art Of Storytelling Around An App
One Key Question
When you are going for an interview, even better, before you go for a meeting, you are considering a job opportunity that you feel will be a great progression for you, or at least a limp in the right direction! One key question you should ask you headhunter or the HR person and/or the person interviewing you actually, everyone associated with the role. They all have perspectives, knowledge and biases that you need to be aware of upfront. The one thing you need to have answered and that will allow you to bail from the process before it got going or to ask the right follow up questions as the process continues, that one thing you need to be clear about is, ‘what makes the person coming in to this role a success within a year of starting.’ If you know this you know whether is a great progression for you or not.
Navigating Success
‘I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs but by how high he bounces when he hits bottom.’ George S. Patton.
I love what Patton’s comment reveals about having a ‘never say die attitude’ and responding to adversity as being key in our live. That said, I would rather mitigate the troughs people have to experience. One simple thing to do (and not so simple) is be clear about that part of the day, week or month where you LOVE your work. Be clear what this is and magnify this aspect of what you focus on for your agency or company. If you do this, you will deliver. And, while you may still be challenged, your success is less likely to be defined by how high you bounce.