Due to the rise in product proliferation, the Indian advertising landscape is much different from what it used to be. Do you think that the use of humour as a central element in advertising has gone up in recent times?
The usage of humour in advertising started a long time ago and has never completely gone out of Indian ads. It has been used quite frequently as the creative punch. Remember the old Fevicol or Ambuja cement ads? In fact, I would like to differ from you by saying that the proportion of humour has actually gone down in Indian ad-ville if one considers the past decade or so. Sometimes, it forces me to really wonder why that has happened.
There are a host of elements which make advertising relevant and impactful. But how do you think humour, adds to the entire package?
One thing is for sure, humour certainly works in enhancing brand recall. If you had a really good laughing time while watching an advertisement, you tend to remember it as well as the brand for a long time. Moreover, intelligent humour is a great way to be emphatic and communicate the message to your target audience. In these contemporary times when there is a lot of clutter in the marketplace, humour also helps in differentiating your brand offerings from competitors. Having said that, I would also point out that there is no such thing as a ‘sure shot’ theory to make humour work all the time. A good joke might not be taken in the best of spirit if it is out of context. Therefore, it is important for agencies to think differently with a highly creative intent while incorporating humour into advertising.
What should agencies keep in mind while experimenting with humour?
Humour is a very delicate element and is not easy to handle at all. If it fails, it fails very badly and may totally ruin the overall essence of the brand. Making people laugh is an art in its own and not everyone is a master of it. Specially, the young generation is very harsh on bad humour. They do not have any sympathy for it and are extremely unforgiving. If they don’t find a creative up to the mark, they will totally discard it. Moreover, humour needs to be fully embedded in the ad so that while audience enjoy the effort, they do not forget the brand associated with it. The main purpose of an ad is to give a brand the desired recognition and not just to make people laugh. So, in essence, don’t use humour for the sake of making people laugh. Make it a part of the overall brand communication exercise. All you have to do is execute the basics very well. Simply put, one should be able to tell a joke the way it’s meant to be told.
When do you think humour in advertising backfires?
Humour in an advertisement is sure to fail if it has been put there just for the sake of it – and without thought. Creative teams need to fully ensure that humour is absolutely needed. Further, there is also a line beyond which humour will fail to work. Would you like humour in a charitable trust’s ad? I remember a lot of ads in which humour was not an intrinsic need but it was still there. I don’t think I need to tell how they ended up.
Which are the ads that you liked because of their humour?
The old Pepsi advertisements were really hilarious and creative. Be it the ‘Nothing official about it’ or the ones with Amitabh Bachchan, they all left an impact on their target audience for a long time. But these days, I feel that humour is not executed well enough in ad-land.
