Power of humour in advertising
V Ganapathy, GM 20:20 Media
The role of humour dates back to many years when all of us used to view films like the Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy. These actors and characters really made all of us laugh when we sat and watched their movies. Even all our Hindi and regional movies in India always had a comedian to play a very important role and provide the movie a touch of humour to give the audience some fun and joy. Every Hindi movie had an actor like Mehmood, Jagdeep, Deven Verma or an Asrani who played a very important role in making the movie entertaining and thrilling.
The same strategy is used by many advertisers in India into their advertising to get noticed and stand out in the clutter with memorable humour which remains sticky in the viewer's mind. In fact news papers like the Times of India have made every reader smile early morning with R.K.Laxman's cartoon. Even individual personality or celebrities try and use humour to position themselves differently in the people's minds. One such example that is top of mind is our Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav. His witty and funny speeches and replies have positioned him differently amongst other politicians. So humour as a tool has been a strong weapon for many brands to draw the customers' attention.
Some Definition of Humour in Advertising:
'Humour' in the dictionary means a quality - being amusing or comic but in advertising it is serious business. In advertising, humour is more than just making a bunch of people laugh. Some of the best brands in India have leveraged humour to such an extent that the viewers look forward for newness in humour each time they see a new commercial from that brand. To illustrate, Fevicol has been one of those brands which have used humour so intelligently and subtly that it remains in people's minds. Here again one needs to closely view the product and the category before applying humour to sell your product. According to David Ogilvy 30 per cent of advertising is based on humour. Humour sells if used creatively with a strong idea and great execution. Claude Hopkins, the father of modern advertising had a different view on this. He was of the opinion that people don't buy from clowns. But in India over the last two decades humour has been drawing lot of attention for communicating a product. Also the conventional wisdom of thinking among our people is that when you buy products it should deliver some value and benefits. These could be nutritious for a health beverage, labour saving for a washing machine or a dishwasher.
Role of Humour:
With more and more channels mushrooming, clutter has become a significant problem for most brands. Hence to beat the clutter and break the ice, humour has been used by many brands to answer the problem. Over a period of time humour has been proved to be one of the best techniques to keep the customer laughing and grab his attention with some sticky and creative idea. The proof of the pudding for any humour based on advertising remains in forcing the audience watch, laugh and most importantly is able to recall the brand easily. Brands must ensure that if they are using humour to sell a product then the connect and the equity of the brand should not be diluted. According to some research humorous ads are recalled fast and easily and it also elevates the consumer's happiness and mood. Finally humour captures the viewer's attention, cuts through the ad clutter and enhances recall. If not crafted properly humour can also backfire at times.
Product and Brand connect:
It sometimes so happens that a joke in an advertisement is so powerful that the consumer tends to forget the brand. Hence it is important that there should be a strong connect between the product and the humour that you are trying to convey. The Pizza world ad showing a hosepipe being used to cool off someone who just had a spicy pizza is a good and relevant example which connects with the brand and really communicates that when you ask for a spicy pizza we deliver it with full pride. Understanding the nuances of the brand and the audience is very important. Overindulgence of humour can put down the audience and the brand if not executed in the right taste. The Amul undergarments ads which tried to use humour and sex to sell their brand never went off well with many consumers. The brand did get some publicity due to controversy but did not win the hearts of the target audience. Hence it is important to base your joke on the core values of the product and the service proposition the brand is offering. No product connect means no effectiveness. All these results in huge wastage of the marketing budget.
Types of Humour in advertising:
Using a comedian: Here instead of building humour in the advertising one can use a comedian actor to promote the brand. One's choice of comedian has to match the values of the brand. One of the most memorable advertisements that have used a comedian well has been Charlie Chaplin for Cherry Blossom shoe polish. The most recent one in this space using an Indian comedian which has been noticeable and successful is Domino's Pizza which has plugged in Paresh Raval very cleverly.
Capitalizing on the current topics :
Use the current hot topic in all walks of life which is funny, sticky, memorable and controversial. Amul Butter has been doing these for several years. The advertising deployed has been very humorous and are always based on the current topics with a tongue-in-cheek approach. People never get fatigued watching the Amul ads. People eagerly wait for what Amul Butter outdoor campaigns by constantly looking at the prime hoarding points where Amul butter is visible.
Strong idea based humour:
Here the strong creative idea is carefully blended with subtle humour. The case in example is Fevicol. The powerful idea with humour helps in beating the clutter. Centre Shock electric gum is another good example where a strong advertising idea (Idea sprung up from the product) with the help of humour helped in translating into a great piece of campaign. Saint Goblin glass is another wonderful example of how humour has been used subtly. The restaurant advertisement (where the water is thrown) created by the company is so refreshing that one never gets bored of viewing it.
Using the right type humour in advertising will be determined by clearly defining your objectives and positioning of your product. This, supported with a strong idea will further help you to create good advertising which can be sticky and memorable for a long time.
Humour will help if it is relevant:
Mostly humour is used in products which is low in investment and which has high impulse purchase. (Candy, beer and mosquito repellents). One cannot totally generalize this, as consumer durable products have also used humour effectively. Humour may not work in category like condoms, sanitary napkins as these products need to explain the benefits of the product more clearly.Similarly cars and diamonds may also not use humour as the decision process to purchase is long.
Finally we need to remember that humorous campaigns are difficult to design and create.
Over exaggeration of humour may have negative effect on the brand. People may remember the joke but not the message and the brand. It can upset individuals if not done tastefully. Products can also flop and brand equity may erode.
While humour is a strong and interesting route to create a great advertising campaign, one must also keep in mind that the imagery, core values of the brand and the positioning does not deviate. If your positioning is perfect then humour with a great idea can do wonders for the brand.
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