Using Humor Effectively in Advertising

Humor is a great way to make an advertising campaign memorable and successful. However, it can also be a great way to ruin a rapport with clients, waste thousands of dollars in promotional fees and cost you even more in lost business than you can calculate. This is because what is funny is highly subjective. Everyone has a different type of sense of humor. When a humorous advertising campaign pays off, it pays off big. However, when the campaign flops, the fallout can be exponential as well.

Here are a few tips on how to incorporate and evaluate humor and its role in your advertising:

• Make sure that the humor reinforces the message in your advertising
  If you are simply funny for the sake of being funny, people may remember your ad but have no idea what services you are providing or what you are selling. When this happens, you have done little more than provide some free entertainment.
• Keep your audience in mind when you weigh your alternatives
  Some types of humor are appropriate for public consumption while others are not. However, there is a broad middle ground that incorporates “inside jokes” into the equation. These allow you to make your target audience feel included and part of a joke without potentially offending other members of the viewing or listening audience. Since the demographic of your target audience plays a major role in the success of your humorous advertising and “R rated” audiences generally do not respond to “G rated” jokes, this may enable you to find a way around potentially offensive material.
• Avoid punch lines
  Generally humorous advertising is more successful when it uses a memorable humorous image or concept rather than relying on a one-line punch line. Focus on images and concepts that will make a connection with your target audience.

And remember, market creatively, carefully and often!