“Audiences
like to be entertained, but not pitched”. Written by Mark Levitt in an online article
from experience.com. This article
addresses the fine line between good advertising and down right annoying
through the use of humour. Now, there are concerns that surround this form of
advertising, such as level of respect from the consumer. Will the use of humour
draw negative attention to the company as compared to lightening the
perception? Will the consumer be offended and be turned off the brand. And,
Will the company actually sell product through the use of humour?
In my humble opinion, this plan of attack is
might not always sell product the way more conventional approaches do, but,
there is something about the use of humour in advertising that sticks to
peoples ribs. For example, the infamous super bowls ads! According to ESPN, in 2012
had a price tag of 3.5 million dollars to run ad space for commercials during
the game. These ads are typically humorous and lets face it, people love them!
Sure, Pepsi may not sell any extra sodas by running ads during the super bowl,
but, to them, it’s worth millions to convey a humanistic portrayal of the
company.
Consumers can also be turned off a brand or
company if the ad is too offensive. Take, the ad by Peta (See photo below). It’s geared to be funny and a bit cheeky,
but comes off being insulting. It features an over weight female with a caption
that says “Save the Whale, lose the
blubber: Go Vegetarian”. I am not an advertising expert, but insulting your
cliental seems like an obvious no-no.
Finally, I ask will a company actually sell
more product with humour? In the end, my best guess is probably not. However,
if they get they’ve captured the attention of the consumer then it’s money well
spent!
Let’s face it; if we stripped away all the
humour from modern advertising, we’d live in one hell of a boring place. It’s
the offbeat adverts that always grab my attention! Good or bad, who knows!
Image taken from google.com
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