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Make My Day
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In the book written by Claude C Hopkins, “Scientific Advertising” he disparaged the use of humour in advertising. In his opinion making money was a serious business and that the marketing should reflect this, gimmicky campaigns by their very nature were short lived and thus offered little in return for the advertising client.
However today we all know that raising a smile can break a brand out of the crowded marketplace but Mr Hopkins was correct that once the breakthrough has been made the hard part is to maintain the momentum gained from the humour.
Of course the meerkats used for promoting insurance have shown the correct way to achieve this.
What I want to share with you are a couple of more subtle uses of humour that I came across over the weekend, these will remain active in the long term and not suffer from over exposure.
The first is for the social media manager site HootSuite
This Snoozing… comment makes me smile every time I read it.
This of course has the effect of engaging me with the software, after all the default action in this case is a message stating that you have been logged out which means you may as well go and do something else.
Thus the site has driven you away and perhaps lost you to a competitor who is using a similar technique as the one above.
The second is for a site called Colourlover which is a theme personalisation site and their use of humour was even more subtle, I have highlighted it in the image to ensure you do not miss it.
Colourlover have taken a very mundane task and taken the time to work out a method of enhancing their engagement with the new user.
This sets the tone for the users experience of the site and as it is a creative design site means you continue in a warm frame of mind which leads to better creativity.
I am sure that are plenty of great sites out their using humour in their daily routines and it would be brilliant to hear about the ones you have discovered.
So what are the sites that make you smile through their use of subtle humour?
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts on incorporating humor in our global discussions. Also, thanks for sharing the social media networks to help by bringing humor into our lives.
I must admit that I find humor in some of the pictures people share on social media platforms. Occasionally, I will show a picture or two to bring some levity to life.
George Zapo recently posted..Coping With Violence
I have read ‘Scientific Advertising’ igor and have to disagree with Claude C Hopkins regarding the use of humour in advertising.
It may have been the case when he wrote the book in 1923 but nowadays I think humour does works in advertising.
As you probably know from my blog I am a big fan of humour, we all take life far too seriously.
Bill
Bill Murney recently posted..Falling Behind
Hi Bil
I must admit when I read that passage in the book it did not really sit well with me either however he does have a point that the advertising should not exist solely for the humour but must actually highlight the benefits of the offer to the potential customer.
This is why I love the meerkats campaign as they have the balance just right, the appeal of a cute creature but tightly and clearly linked to their service.
Your blog is a continuing bright point in my schedule, thanks for that
Hi Igor,
I must agree with Bill, I think at times adding some humor to it is acceptable. It will definitely make you stand out from the rest. That is if you aren’t insulting anyone along the way.
I’ve seen the snooze thing on Hootsuite and did think that was kind of funny. For me, it’s some photos I’ve seen on people’s sties or even from time to time, quotes. They help lighten the day and make us smile. Have not seen too many sites with this added feature I must admit. But that is keeping it fun.
Enjoyed this post, thanks Igor!
~Adrienne
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Thanks Adrienne, I think the key to using humour is using it to add value to the site rather than existing in its own little world. Adding quotes as you mention is a great way to add value, I just did a quick search and there is a plugin called WordPress Quotes that has received 5 stars for adding motivational quotes into your sidebar. Will have to test it once I get the test blog back up and running.
Hi Igor,
I think Fiverr.com uses subtle humour really well to display the personality of its service. It’s use of old english – State thy name and ye shall pass – in places – often makes me smile.
I think humour is good if it adds to personality of your brand.
Aman
Aman Basanti | Age of Marketing recently posted..How to Craft a Killer Call-To-Action in Marketing & Advertising
Hi Aman, thanks for the comment and I agree with you, the subtle use of humour is far more beneficial to your brand than the short lived surge from the viral video. I like your post about crafting the correct call to action,
I also disagree. I think that all people should be positive-minded, and if they will use humor in advertising, so it won’t be a problem and it will bring only interesting benefits. Of course, in case if it is a good humor
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