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| Home Overview Table of Contents About the Author Funny Ad Links Funny Advertising References Funny Ad Quotations Funny Business | Academic advertising researchers and scholars have learned a lot about how advertisers use humor and how funny ads affect the people who see them. You can see a list of the most important academic and scientific works by clicking on the Funny Advertising References link to the left, if you haven't already. But oddly enough, as I mention in the book, in some practice-oriented disciplines, like advertising, the people who practice it and the academics who research and teach it often don’t communicate as much as they probably should. So I decided right from the start that if I really wanted to explore advertising humor, I needed to compare what academics report in their scholarly journals with what the guys who actually make the ads have learned. So I sent a survey questionnaire to almost 300 of the top creative executives at the 150 largest advertising agencies in the U.S. and asked them what they think about funny ads. What you can see here are some of the open-ended comments many of these highly qualified and accomplished creatives chose to share. So here they are, categorized by topic: Words of wisdom about funny advertising from the ad business's top creative minds.
Advertising Humor and the Importance of Relevance “Humor that enhances your selling message can be very effective. Humor that upstages or confuses your selling message is always disastrous” (Vice Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, Christy MacDougall Mitchell Bodden, New York, NY). “The humor needs to be relevant to the product, to the audience and to the consumer/user of the product. Humor for humor’s sake 'has no place in advertising'” (Executive VP-Creative, Allen & Gerritson, Watertown, MA). "If it’s relevant to the product and appropriate to the target, humor can work wonders in making the consumer feel good about a brand” (Exec. VP and Exec. Director-Creative, Publicis Worldwide, New York, NY). “Humor that’s backed by a smart strategy and is relevant to the brand can be very effective. If it’s not stupid” (Managing Director-Creative, Slingshot, LLC, Dallas, TX). “Humor needs to propel the point of the message, not drown it” (Exec. VP and Creative Services Director, RPA, Santa Monica, CA). “Humor is great in any piece of communication as long as it’s relevant to the message strategy. Note--Wendy’s Where’s the Beef” spot--scored very high on recall--but didn’t sell the burgers they thought it would” (Exec. Creative Director, Sigma Group, Oradell, NJ). “The funny should come from the brand attribute. Funny just to be funny isn’t memorable without a connection to what the brand stands for. How many times do you hear 'I love that spot! Who’s it for?' 'Um… I forget'” (Senior VP and Creative Director, Ron Foth Advertising, Columbus, OH). “Ultimately it’s less about humor versus non-humor than it is about the idea. A great idea with a great insight whether humorous or non-humorous is what works. Humor done well can work brilliantly, Humor done badly can be very detrimental” (Retired Creative Executive). "There is nothing more effective in TV advertising than great humor that hinges on a product truth or insight. And few things more elusive" (Chief Creative Officer, Element 79 Partners, Chicago, IL). "Humor should not be the objective of a campaign. It works when it’s relevant to the overall strategy. Humor can be good, but is can also be badly done, in which case it doesn’t work. Humor is a tool like any other communications tool. It’s not better or worse, it’s how you use it" (VP and Chief Creative Officer, Lapiz Integrated Hispanic Marketing, Chicago, IL). “Humor does not exist outside of the context of strategy. If the strategy + insights are strong, the advertising will work with or without humor. People don’t sit around thinking 'I think I’ll write a funny ad.' They execute an advertising strategy, and sometimes humor is the best way to execute that strategy” (VP and Creative Director, Northlich, Cincinnati, OH). The Universal Appeal of Humor “All people like to laugh and they like your brand for making them do it. But humor should come out of the product benefit or reason for purchase. Type of humor should be directly related to target audience (sophisticated, sophomoric + everything in between)” (Associate Director-Creative, DDB Dallas, Dallas, TX). “Humor, just like other styles/techniques in advertising is most effective when it come out of the product and delivers a message that is pertinent and emotionally connective to the target audience. Under the appropriate circumstances everyone is responsive to humor in advertising” (Chief Creative Officer, Ten United, Pittsburg, PA). “The use of humor can be very effective in any medium because we all want to laugh and feel good. And because we choose brands like friends—Do we want to hang out with someone who takes themselves too serious, or someone who is fun?” (Creative Monsignor, Cole & Weber/Red Cell, Seattle, WA). "Used properly, and with salience, humor can be an effective tool to sell any product. I even used it for a breast cancer spot" (Director-Creative, Fletcher Martin Ewing (MDC), Atlanta, GA). "Regardless of who we are advertising for (B-B, B-C, B-C level Execs), we must remind our clients we are speaking to people. Everyone loves humor-the challenge is finding the relevant approach for your target as humor is subjective, and execution is paramount to its success" (Managing Director-Creative, Slingshot, LLC, Dallas, TX). "Consumers everywhere are inundated with marketing messages. Unless you engage and entertain your audience, they will ignore you. The quickest most universal way to engage is humor. Everyone wants to laugh and is grateful to those who help them do so. That’s powerful for brands" (Exec. VP and Creative Director, Doremus, San Francisco, CA). “Try humor first! The correct use of humor will give your client/product the best chance to succeed. Here’s a relevant question: “Who would you rather talk to at a party--a funny person or a serious one?” The key is to make sure humor fits with your brand’s personality. It may not be right for an H.M.O., but it may work well for a restaurant chain. There’s a reason why Hollywood makes comedies, newspapers have comics and TV has sit-coms--People like to laugh! Use humor every chance you can” (VP & Director-Creative, Hoffman/Lewis, Saint Louis, MO). Entertaining with Humor “Mass media is now required to be entertaining as well as informative, but the purchase decision is never clinched by mass media--it simply gets your brand in the consideration set and then other factors come into play, such as price, selection, point of purchase materials” (Associate Director-Creative, DDB Dallas, Dallas, TX). “Humor is entertaining. In a world of clutter, you must entertain before you educate” (Creative Director, R&R Partners, Las Vegas, NV). “Consumers everywhere are inundated with marketing messages. Unless you engage and entertain your audience, they will ignore you. The quickest most universal way to engage is humor. Everyone wants to laugh and is grateful to those who help them do so. That’s powerful for brands” (Exec. VP and Creative Director, Doremus, San Francisco, CA). “The average consumer just wants to be entertained. Full-stop” (Regional Director Creative-North America, Leo Burnett USA, Chicago, IL) "Humor works across all lines. I believe advertising should entertain and humor is the best way to entertain. Funny is good" (Director Creative, WestWayne, Inc., Atlanta, GA). “Humor is a form of entertainment and works not only to keep consumers from changing channels, but also help them remember the advertiser. If the advertisement is funny enough for people to talk about, you just got a lot more for your money” (Co-Creative Director, Kupper Parker Communications, Inc., Saint Louis, MO). The Importance of Being Funny “If you’re going to use humor, make sure it’s actually funny, not 'advertising-funny'” (Chief Creative Officer, Carmichael Lynch, Inc., Minneapolis, MN). “Humor done badly is the worst offense. If you are going for humor you better make it funny” (Senior VP and Exec. Director-Creative, Duncan & Associates, Los Angeles, CA). “If you’re not funny, don’t try to create humorous ads” (Senior VP and Director of Creative, Heil-Brice Retail Advertising, Inc., Newport Beach, CA). “If done correctly, humor is the most valuable tool an advertiser can use. If it’s done poorly, however, it can be extremely damaging to a brand” (Exec. VP & Chief Creative Officer, Fitzgerald+Co., Atlanta, GA). “It’s much more difficult to sell a humorous execution to a client than it is to sell a product to a consumer through humor” (Senior VP and Executive Creative Director, Bernstein-Rein Advertising, Inc., Kansas City, KS). “Execution is everything. Your intention to make something funny means nothing if it isn’t funny. Also, different people find humor in differing things” (Senior VP and Creative Director, Laughlin/Constable, Inc., Milwaukee, WI). “Humor is a lot like art. It’s subjective. It’s not always universally appreciated. And, most of all, it’s harder to do than you’d think” (Executive Vice President/Executive Creative Director, Fitzgerald & Company, MARC USA Miami, Miami, FL) "It is the most difficult type of advertising to do well, but the most enjoyable to produce" (Senior VP and Creative Director, Bernstein-Rein Advertising, Inc., Kansas City, MO) "It’s dangerous. Of writers who think they’re funny, only one in a hundred can pull it off. Even then, only half their audience will laugh. Leave it to proven professionals, and TEST IT" (Exec. VP and Creative Director, Ackerman McQueen, Inc., Oklahoma City, OK). "Funny for funny’s sake doesn’t work. It has to be relevant; to your product, to your brand, to life. Humor, good humor, is hard to do. That’s why when people see a really funny spot or print ad, it jumps out at them. Funny is tough to do well" (Associate Creative Director, McCarthy Mambro Bertino Advertising, Boston, MA). On Creating Great Advertising Humor "Good humor in advertising starts with the right frame of mind and a relaxed work environment. If you can’t find the pleasure and humor in your daily surroundings, then you are doomed to produce mediocre work" (Art Director, Harris, Baio & McCullough, Inc., Philadelphia, PA). "Don’t be afraid of using ethnic humor, just be sensitive and thoughtful in its presentation" (Senior VP & Director of Creative Services, UniWorld Group, Inc., New York, NY). "Humor is very broad. What a woman will find funny is not what a frat boy will find funny. There’s ironic humor, black humor, slapstick humor, there’s a HUGE tonal range that will appeal to different people for different reasons. My view is that yes--Humor can work but it depends on the CONTEXT. It’s not about funny good or funny bad" (Associate Creative Director, Seiden Group, New York, NY). "The humor has to be fresh, surprising to gain people’s attention. The viewer expects TV ads to be boring, and you can thrill them by giving them a good laugh in exchange for intruding on their life" (Copywriter and Director of Creative Group, Fallon Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN). "Humor should never be mean-spirited" (Managing Director-Creative Services, The Kaplan Thaler Group, Ltd., New York, NY). "There is a critical difference between smart, sophisticated humor and sophomoric humor. Treat your audience like they’re smart" (Exec. Creative Director, HSR Business to Business, Cincinnati, OH).
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