The Dangers of Humour In Advertising
The Dangers of Humour In Advertising
stuck behind a huge dump truck for a while, as the traffic inched along. The truck
was carrying a large load of fresh garden soil, probably top soil destined for the
flower beds of one of the large condo developments along that part of the highway.
On the back of the truck was the name of the company, along with a telephone
number and the slogan "Soil Yourself!".
No doubt the owner of the business thought it was funny and had put some thought
into it before putting it on his truck. I had a bit of a chuckle myself, when I saw it.
But at the same time, it struck me that the owner of the truck had fallen into one
of the most common marketing mistakes; trying to be humorous in our marketing.
Even if people find your humour amusing, does it sell? My belief is that generally
it does not. What sells are clear benefits. In this case there were none.
The worst thing with humour, is that it is open to misinterpretation. Another
challenge in these days of political correctness, is that others might find it offensive.
So why use something that hides your benefits, is open to misinterpretation or
might create offence? In my view the most important thing in advertising is to create
a clear Unique Selling Proposition and use it to succinctly communicate why people
should choose you over your competition. See Street-Smart Marketer # xx for more information on creating an effective USP.
The Dangers of Humour In Advertising - To learn more about this author, visit Michael Hepworth's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
Driving along the highway to my next client appointment this morning, I was
stuck behind a huge dump truck for a while, as the traffic inched along. The truck
was carrying a large load of fresh garden soil, probably top soil destined for the
flower beds of one of the large condo developments along that part of the highway.
On the back of the truck was the name of the company, along with a telephone
number and the slogan "Soil Yourself!".
No doubt the owner of the business thought it was funny and had put some thought
into it before putting it on his truck. I had a bit of a chuckle myself, when I saw it.
But at the same time, it struck me that the owner of the truck had fallen into one
of the most common marketing mistakes; trying to be humorous in our marketing.
Even if people find your humour amusing, does it sell? My belief is that generally
it does not. What sells are clear benefits. In this case there were none.
The worst thing with humour, is that it is open to misinterpretation. Another
challenge in these days of political correctness, is that others might find it offensive.
So why use something that hides your benefits, is open to misinterpretation or
might create offence? In my view the most important thing in advertising is to create
a clear Unique Selling Proposition and use it to succinctly communicate why people
should choose you over your competition. See Street-Smart Marketer # xx for more information on creating an effective USP.
The Dangers of Humour In Advertising - To learn more about this author, visit Michael Hepworth's Website.
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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