Week 5: Advertising & Humour

There are some ads that you remember for years to come... why do you remember? I would say that more often than not, it is because the ad used humour to convey a message, and you remembered the ad because it was that funny. Did it make you run out and buy the product? Maybe not. But it certainly made you think about the product and the specific brand. 

"Audiences like to be entertained, but not pitched. People will pay more attention to a humorous commercial than a factual or serious one, opening themselves up to be influenced." 

- Mark Levitt

This quote does a good job of explaining why humour works so well in advertising. Everyone likes to smile, laugh and be entertained. When an ad is humorous and friendly, the audience receives a positive vibe and doesn't feel threatened or pushed to buy a product — more often than not this will actually make them more inclined to buy the product.

When I see ads for sponsoring children (sick children who are crying while staring into your soul) I am not inclined to call the company and give them my money. I dont want to sound heartless, but come on! These ads just upset me and make me mad because I know that the purpose of the ad is to guilt trip me.

When I see an ad that uses humour, it makes me feel happy and non-threatened. I know deep down that the company wants me to buy their product, however I don't feel like I'm being pushed or begged to buy in.

I believe that advertisements that use humour work really well not only for product sales but for brand recognition. If companies were to stop making funny ads, the world of advertisement would be a very sad and boring place.