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Re:humor in advertising - 2006/03/23 15:30
One surefire way to cut through the clutter is humor.
Seriously though, in evaluating advertising, memorability and likeability measures predict the effectiveness of advertising. Humor makes ads memorable and likeable. The caveat is that the humor doesn't overwhelm the message or your brand ("That was a funny commercial.
What was it for?").
Given enough weight (and money), seemingly unrelated humor can still translate into brand awareness and inquiry. Look in your own industry at Geico for effective use of humor. My guess though, is that your ideal customer is the exact opposite of what Geico is trying to target.
You need to evaluate your competitors ads to make sure you are distinct (I suspect you know this).
Humor is often used in first campaigns because it helps get you noticed. It also works in industries where people don't expect humor.
Linking humor to your brand message is the best way to use it, as opposed to for its own sake. There are other creative devices that also get used, including shock value, puppy dogs, slice of life, slice of death, etc. I see the "slice of" scenes all the time in insurance advertising.
Humor (if tastefully done) can do a lot to attract attention to a relatively fleeting media, such as advertising.
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