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Brands (Fevicol, Amaron, Cholor-mint) TV channels (STAROne, Zee Smile, Sony TV) and admen (Piyush Pandey, R. Balakrishnan, Josy Paul) have leveraged humour successfully to defy conventional wisdom, which says humour trivialises the brand.
The Indian advertising and media industries couldn’t agree with that statement more. Clients are spending serious money on it while channels are banking their TRPs on making viewers laugh. Humour made these brands what they are today: Fevicol, Amaron, Cholor-mint, Happydent…they defy conventional wisdom, which says humour trivialises the brand.
Fevicol is a classic example of a product category that wasn’t conventionally known to use humour as a theme. But today, the brand is synonymous with humour and is a leader in its category. Creative pitch meets sales expectations: A brand manager’s dream come true! As Josy Paul, Country Head and National Creative Director, rmg david, sermonises, “Ogilvy once said, ‘People don't buy from clowns’. But times have changed. Everyone loves a guy who is entertaining and makes you laugh. It's just that you have to be careful that the timing is right. Laughter attracts. The benefits outweigh its pitfalls.”
Does humour make ads stick?
Most creatives agree that humour is the safest bet to making a good ad stick but clients aren’t always convinced that it’s the best road to take. “There are still clients, who are condescending about the use of humour in films. It’s my opinion, however, that it’s the fastest way to a man’s heart. Just because the advertising is humourous does not mean the brand is being trivialised,” believes Pushpinder Singh, National Creative Director, Ambience Publicis, “I think the best example of a brand built on humour are Fevicol and Perfetti. All their campaigns have been classics.”
Agrees Josy Paul, “Fevicol sticks. Even its advertising sticks to humour. Some brands make you laugh or smile most of the time. Like Fevicol, there's Alpenliebe Lollipop. Or many of the candies and chocolates and biscuits… They are proof that you can build a brand solely by using humour.”
“A humourous ad manages to touch a viewer better because they can identify with the person in the ad who is stuck in a comical situation. According to me, there are better chances of the viewer registering such a brand than a boring ad which speaks about product benefits,” believes Rajesh Krishnan, Director, Footcandles Films, the man behind ads like those for Zee Cinema (‘Paap ka Anth’) and the Tata Indica commercial (‘Compulsive Liar’). What about the notion that humourous ads have low repeat value since the viewer already knows the plot?
“I don’t agree with that,” believes Krishnan adding, “A well made funny film is going to be watched again and again. I believe most of advertising is a severe interruption so if you are going to piss off someone, you might as well do it in a way that ensures you are a more pleasant piss off than someone else.”
Humour, they say is a universal thing. It is also a tricky one. So if your brand of humour does not go down well with the viewer, you are in deep trouble, which may be one of the reasons that clients are sometimes averse to using humour.
To read the complete article, check out a copy of the Impact issue dated August 15-21, 2005.