Everyone knows that the “Christmas day” of the advertising world is Super Bowl Sunday. In the Super Bowl’s 52 years, a total of $5.4 billion has been spent on advertisements, with a 30-second spot costing an average of $5 million. But the day after the Super Bowl, you don’t hear much about which brands had the most interesting and innovative products. What you do hear is who had the funniest commercials. Doritos is the perfect example. Nothing new about the chips, but we all can’t wait to see what their next ad will be.
It’s clear that comedy dominates all types of ads and commercials, and for any company looking to sustain a following, it’s worth considering if a comedic approach is a good fit. For example, MoneyLion came to us looking for a striking and humorous way to advertise their banking app, and we took that as an opportunity to make an exercise bike burst into flames. But before going the funny route, it’s important to weigh the basic pros and cons:
Comedy Makes You Memorable
The reason that comedy has become one of the main methods of advertising is because it gets people to notice, and actually remember a company’s content. Studies have shown that 69% of the most impactful ads in North America are humorous. This is clearest with Super Bowl commercials, funny ads are going to stick in your brain more lastingly than purely informational ones. And though it may not be the product that people go home talking about, it’ll probably be the company’s name.
Comedy Makes You Relatable
Using comedy as a tool can give a company more personality and seem more human, less like a faceless corporation. Since the nature of comedy is to play with ideas that the audience understands and connects with, a comedic ad automatically makes an intimate connection with the viewers in the name of your brand. So when a company makes a funny ad that lands well, they have opened a new and personal avenue by which to relate to its customers.
Comedy Evokes an Emotional Reaction
When it comes down to it, you want your advertisement to make the viewers feel positively about your brand. What better way to do that than make them laugh? It’s a simple thing, but having a positive emotional connection with your brand name will likely make it more appealing than another’s.
One Problem: Comedy Doesn’t Always Sell
Comedy can work very effectively for brand awareness, but not always for sales. Some studies have shown that while funny ads get more attention and are more enjoyable to watch, on average serious ads receive slightly more conversion on sales than purely funny ones. So it seems that comedy grabs attention and makes things memorable, but doesn’t necessarily sell.
However, that isn’t to say that humorous ads are only good for attention grabbing. If an ad is able to balance humor with information and persuasion, then you get the best of both worlds; the audience enjoys your ad, and it converts sales.
The Other Problem
It’s hard to be funny and convey a message that will sell your brand all in 30 seconds. Not even that, it’s just hard to be funny. And an ad that tries to be funny but isn’t is a sure way to turn away some viewers.
The Steps to Success
So, when preparing to film a brand video or commercial, consider a few things:
Step 1. Decide if humor would suit your brand. Not sure if the “funny surgeon’s office” would be a big hit.
Step 2. If you believe humor would suit your brand, remember the golden equilibrium between humorous and informative.
Step 3. Make it funny.
Step 4. If you’re not sure that you know how to make it funny, hire a production company whose comedic sensibility you trust. View their past commercial work and original content, if they have any. If they have produced any shorts or sketches that make you laugh, then you’re one step closer to the next Doritos Super Bowl commercial.
By Stephen Kipp | Head Writer