Do make me laugh

Posted by: Sinclair Ashman

During my current teaching stint, I’ve been discussing communications hooks with my design students. I mentioned to them that I consider myself almost immune to the techniques of advertisers, I rarely watch TV advertising with the sound turned up.

What does get me reaching for the remote control is humour, particularly of the animal animation variety. It’s well-known that the adverts that make audiences laugh or smile are the most memorable. Shock or surprise as also viable tactics, but they’re not as effective; they can turn people off or, even worse, turn them against the advertiser.

So whether its dancing cows, as in the recent Dairylea campaign, or sheep as loft insulation (Npower), the secret for reaching a hard-to-reach audience like me is simple: just make me laugh.