• • • Home | Subscribe | Login | Earlier Issues | This issue • • •

 


Is there an overdose of humour in advertising?
 
Any amount of refreshing humour in advertising is welcome - especially in a world that is becoming increasingly stressful. What we have to remember is that nobody switches on his TV with the primary objective of viewing ads. Nor do people buy newspapers or magazines to read the ads in them. So, in a sense, ads are competing for attention with all the clutter, choices and chaos in today's media. In such a scenario, humour is a great device for attracting
mind-space.

I would say that more than humour, there is a genuine effort now to make Indian advertising more entertaining. I think the realisation has now dawned that advertising has a far better chance of working if it entertains. Your message has to be differentiated. It needs to have a USP, but all this needs to be packaged in an entertaining manner. If you do not do that, chances are you may be saying all the right things, but you won't be noticed in the first place.

Another thing worth remembering is that most ads on TV are seen repeatedly. This is especially true of ads appearing during cricket matches, where the frequency can be as high as once every two or three overs. So how do you keep the viewer from reaching for his remote between overs? I believe this is only possible if you entertain him. A recent case in point is the Reliance �Bus button dabao' ad where a father reaches his son's school to find out how to get the cricket score on his mobile. You enjoy the nuances of the ad, even if you've seen it 20 times before. The Indian consumer appreciates humour that is sparkling and fresh, but in all probability will reject a message if it is packaged in humour that is repetitive or unimaginative. So, in that sense, the humour has to be thought out very carefully and executed with a certain amount of finesse. If you succeed in doing that, no amount of it will be an overdose.
   
There is no such thing as too much humour. Humour is always more than welcome. I think what we need to question is the kind of humour that we are exposed to.

An overdose of slapstick, is nauseating. Forced, over the top, meaningless humour can be very irritating to watch. But intelligent and well-timed humour can be very entertaining. As examples, I can think of certain brands like Mentos, Fevicol,
Orbit, Greenply and Alpenliebe that have used humour well.

You want to watch the ads again, because of the timing, characterisation and technique used to narrate the story effectively. Finally, it also boils down to the strength of the basic concept itself, and its relevance to the brand. I love watching good humour and I don�t think I will ever be sick of it - provided it has the right ingredients.
   

TConsumers watch television to be entertained by their favourite programme, not to watch TV commercials. In that sense, advertising intrudes into that space. The plethora of choice and the power of the remote make the task of engaging consumers even more difficult. In my opinion, the only way advertising will work is by being as entertaining as the rest of what television has to offer.
In that context, what could be better than humour? Everyone likes the person who makes him smile, or even laugh. People react to brands in quite the same manner. If your brand makes me smile, I will remember it fondly when the time comes to buy. A word of caution here - good humour cuts through like magic, bad humour makes your brand pathetic. And, there is often a fine line between the two. Today's consumer will not give you a second chance.

The big question is, given that more and more of brand budgets are being diverted to non-traditional media, can the humour of the TVC be extended to the other brand touchpoints? In my mind this is a serious challenge for the creative agencies.

Lastly, I think humour works even better today. Look at the success of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge. Many more such comedy shows are on air and on the anvil. I think Indian consumers have found their funny bone. Comedy works, big time.
   
After a long hard day and you need a laugh. So anyone - that includes brands - who makes you laugh is great. The most terrible sound is that of silence when you have cracked a joke and people don't get it.

Yes, it's good to use humour, but you must get it right. Humour is probably the best tool to reach any target audience, which is why most brands try and see the funny side of things. But
good humour is also really tough to do. So unless it's handled well, and has a universal appeal, it can fall flat.

Advertising should also bring one back to the core ideals of the brand, which sometimes they don't. Which is why we probably see many ads that are trying to be funny but don't elicit the desired effect. I would say it is probably more a case of quality, or the lack thereof, rather than quantity.
 
Reported by Rachit Vats

 

   
MAIL THIS PAGE