Humor Improves Communication Effectiveness
A Dummy's Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip Martin, Mannequin American
Humor Improves Communication Effectiveness
Below are actual comments from clients and potential clients made to an agency known for creating humorous and effective marketing campaigns.
Matchbox Cars - "Sure, VW can afford to be funny. They're cheap cars. We're selling a quality product here."
Prudential - "Look, we're not a fun company. We're a pretty boring company. Shouldn't our advertising reflect who we are?"
Polaner Garlic - "If the product benefits are communicated in an entertaining manner, will the humor get in the way of the product?"
Haagen-Dazs - "I'm not sure you're taking the product seriously enough. This is ice cream, after all."
After 30 years in the marketing and corporate communications business, I've often seen the look in a client's eyes when he or she hears, "Maybe we should try a humorous approach." Their response is usually, "Humor? There's nothing funny about our business!"
Why does using humor terrify management? Perhaps it's the risk of falling flat, of offending someone. But the other side of "risk" is "opportunity".
Let's look at the insurance industry. Insurance is so boring that I almost fell asleep typing the word "insurance." For nearly 60 years Geico was an obscure niche marketer of auto insurance and primarily used direct mail to target people with good driving records. In 1994 the company began using national TV, radio and print ads. In 1996 the company introduced humor in its ads to give the company a "personality." In four years Geico's sales increased 39% and the company moved from 7th largest to 4th largest.
The company's now famous gecko and humorous ads transformed a traditionally boring category. Today Geico's ads are part of vernacular and they have spawned additional humor in the insurance category, most notably the AFLAC duck which has had tremendous success in increasing visibility and sales. (Had you ever heard of AFLAC before they introduced the duck?)
Consistent, professional humor grabs attention. It's memorable. It's enjoyable. It's fun. And yes, it sells. And it's something that I'm an expert on. (In all modesty.)
McDonalds is on the Wrong Side
I usually find myself taking McDonald's side when it's attacked by environmental, nutritional or other narrowly-focused special interest groups. I think Ronald McDonald Houses and other McDonald charities are tremendous community assets. But I have to take issue with the company on this little news item.
Apparently McDonald's has nothing better to do than sue a 19 year old whose last name, McClusky, was the inspiration for the name of an event she puts on to raise money for the Chicago chapter of Special Olympics. The event is called McFest, and it has raised $30,000. But McClusky has spent $5,000 of it defending herself against McDonald's legal assault.
McClusky says she's frustrated by the company's desire to clamp down on and in effect penalize a charity event ... especially when McDonald's is a supporter of Special Olympics. "It has nothing to do with food, arches or their colors," she said. "And our M's are pointy, not curved."
McClusky hopes for a truce that will allow her to keep the McFest name. Still, she's unwilling to make a corporate sponsorship tradeoff along the lines of "McDonald's Presents McFest." For their part, McDonald's representatives maintained that they have no desire to squash McClusky's charitable efforts, and desire an "amicable resolution." McDonald's says they are required by law to "guard against third parties that infringe upon our trademarks."
I can't believe that all things "Mc," are automatically McDonald's. And I can't help but think that this is the result of some over-zealous corporate attorney who is devoid of common sense and who should have talked with McDonald's corporate PR people before heading down the path of suing a teenager raising money for Special Olympics. It's definitely a "no win" for McDonald's.
Dragulator?
Leslie Bonk sent me to http://www.dragulator.com/ where I found a Web site that appears to be produced by the TV cable network, Logo. The Web site features "RuPaul's Drag Race", which is a euphemism for an interactive Web site that enables you to turn yourself into a drag queen ... or more accurately, create a picture of yourself as a drag queen.
It's an interesting time-waster. Below is the result of my feeble effort ... and I didn't use half of the transformation options that are available on the site.
What is it with Ads for Shoes?
In previous blogs I've highlighted contemporary print ads for shoe companies which blatantly use sexual references and photos to grab attention with little or no "tie" to the actual product. (Accidental pun)
Apparently the industry has leaned toward the tendency to use "sex for no reason" for quite some time.
Why does this ad for Nunn Bush shoes, which I'm guessing is from the sixties, use a naked woman as a backdrop for its products? I'm not complaining ... I'm just curious. (And to be honest, this is the only Nunn Bush ad that I could find that wasn't ultra conservative and ultra boring.)
I didn't know until I read the small print on this ad that the Nunn Bush Shoe Co. was based in Milwaukee, WI. I looked it up and found that the company is now based in Glendale, WI, about 15 miles from my office. Then I learned that the "old man" wing tips that Dale wears are from Nunn Bush. That style of show has to be as old as this ad ... which gives you some idea of Dale's fashion sense.
Animated Shorts
Okay, these have nothing to do with marketing communications, but they caught my eye, and Dale's not around today to censor things.
The advancements in animation techniques fascinate me. Animation shorts can almost seem real at times. So here are links to two award-winning animation shorts. The first one "Pigeon Impossible" is clever, fast-paced and funny. Click here to watch it on YouTube.
Because some of my best friends are "dolls," I was reluctant to post this second clip.
It's beautifully done, but a bit creepy at the end ... and it may perpetuate some people's aversion to dolls. But I think you'll find it mesmerizing. Click here to see Alma, by Rodrigo Blaas.
