One of the common traits of many humorous print ads is a kind of ‘implied compliment’. It sparks people’s imagination, and so it’s worth a little look.
To kick off, a couple of questions — no right or wrong answers, it’s just for fun.
Have you ever watched a murder mystery on TV?
I’d imagine you’d say ‘yes’.
Question two:
Let’s suppose the murderer was revealed in the first half hour. How would you feel?
I’d imagine you’d say ‘hugely pissed off’.
Obviously, the big appeal with murder mysteries is unravelling the puzzle of who the murderer might be. The key word here is puzzle. Humour involves wonderful, quick, almost-gone-before-you’ve-seen-them puzzles.
To show this, let’s compare a couple of ads for clothes stores. They’re aimed at a similar demographic: women aged, I’d imagine, 26 to 40. Granted, they’re advertising different things — the first is flagging up a forthcoming event, the second is a brand ad — but for illustrative purposes, they’re good to use.
Here’s number one:
Nice, huh?
Sale = Stampede = Cowering Mannequin.
What we’re doing here is solving a little puzzle. Psychologists of humour often say there are two objectives to humour: we have the ‘work’ element: comprehension, then we have the ‘play’ element: amusement. There’s almost a contract going on here: do the work to understand it, and you’ll get the play — a smile, a laugh, a sense of mirth — at the end of it.
Let’s now look at the second ad: a banner ad for Mango that popped up on my Mac a few days ago.
Not much to see here, and not much to say. A pretty meaningless line — granted, perhaps Together Sounds Better is an allusion to a post-COVID world, but it’s tenuous and, anyway, the idea of togetherness has been massively overdone.
But here’s the funny thing: this ad is not an atypical example. We are surrounded — some would say swamped — by ads such as the Mango one.
Ads such as the Harvey Nichols one are rare.
Why?
There are several reasons why brands shy away from using humour. However, I think a key reason — and one that might be operating on a sub-concious level — is that, in the affluent West, we prioritise a frictionless life. We loathe obstacles, interference, challenge. Talk to any CX or UX designer and they will say it’s about the smoothness of the journey, above all else. Anything that might impede it is perceived as a hinderance.
And so this applies, by extension, to the the Mango ad. The tagline/headline was written, debated and somehow approved. There might have been a slight shrug, there might have been a raised eyebrow, but it got through. And what got it through is the fact Together Sounds Better sounds vaguely positive. And there’s the assumption that some vague positivity will inherently attract a larger audience to the brand or product.
But there’s a snag with what sounds vaguely positive.
Too often it’s clichéd, too often it’s meaningless.
But worst of all, it’s very, very forgettable.
So my point is this: as much as we want a smooth, easy life, there’s something about being human that there is a need for puzzles. It could be completing a jigsaw, doing a recipe for the first time, even going on a first date and sitting opposite someone in a bar, drink in hand, and wondering: is this person the one or am I sitting opposite a complete and utter moron? We’re trying to work out a puzzle.
I’m not saying they have to be difficult. Some of the worst ads are clever-clever: they seem less like ads than exercises in ego. Rather, I’m saying just the right balance: something that initially seems odd, until you look more closely and there’s the wonderful ‘ah’ moment.
There’s a little puzzle below. And you can work it out. It’s an ad from 1986, for Fisher Price rollerskates. And it’s brilliant.
Humour of this type pays a compliment to people. It implicitly says: “You? Whoever you are, you’re smart enough to figure this out.” And paying a compliment is a pretty good way of getting someone interested in what you’re selling. And, at the same time, making them feel good about themselves, too.
Many thanks for reading.
Paddy
www.studiogilmore.com / +44 7866 538 233