Entry #4: Does humour sell?

There are many different 'categories' of ads which companies may utilize to their advantage, with humour being one of the more popular categories of the 21st Century. It seems that all companies are trying to create humorous ads these days, with some succeeding, and some failing. Personally, I love funny ads. I think it's a great tool for companies to utilize and (most of the time) can come off successful. The reason why I think humour works the majority of the time is because a lot of companies use pop culture referencing, and mildly surprising imagery. Mildly being the key word here.

It's almost as if an invisible line is placed between 'surprising' and 'shocking'. If a company can make an image surprising and catch the viewer off-guard, I feel that it is successful. But if an ad pushes the envelope too much, or makes the viewer uncomfortable/appalled, the ad is of course unsuccessful. Everyone is different, but I feel that most companies play their humour more on the 'safe' side, using easy laughs and relatable imagery to their advantage. Keeping this simple ideal in mind will also allow for the ad to appeal to more viewers. Not everyone has the same sense of humour of course, but something not overly-generalized or specific might help their cause in appealing to a broader audience.

Some of the print ads I included above made me either smile (figuratively or literally) in some way. The simpler the image, the better. I also find that ads like this are also really strong because they generally use minimal text. The image says it all: "Fight bad breath", "This bra is the perfect fit", "TV and reality are very different". Some ads still use a small phrase or summary, but for the most part, the image is strong enough on its own. It is confident and the message is clear. I feel that this is a better approach for all ads as well, not just humour-utilizing ones. The less the viewer or audience has to read, the better. Too much information and too much text leads to an uninterested and uninvolved audience.

One ad which I absolutely love that's on TV right now is the commercial for MiO Sport (MiO Sport – Eye of the Squirter). It's use of one of the most popular sports-themed songs of all time, Eye of the Tiger, and it's simple sheer ridiculousness is perfect. Almost everyone knows the original song and where it's from, making it appeal to a wide audience. The humour used is not overly smart, not offensive, but simple, silly, and fun. Everyone loves to smile, and this ad definitely delivers for most of its viewers.