PowerPoint-Prsentation
Is there sense in humour?Year of the Monkey Conference 2016Will
RollsGrabarz & Partner
Yes.
Im going to give you a straight answer.2
Yes.Of course there is.
Yes.Of course there is. humour is powerful, viral,
intelligent.
Just take a look at the Superbowl the Olympics of
advertising5
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF SUPERBOWL AD:FUNNY ONES AND UNSUCCESSFUL
ONES.
funny stuff works for brands.
So am I going to try to convince you that funny communication
can work?7
funny stuff works for brands.
No that is too obvious.8
Funny stuff works for brands.Heres some funny stuff.
Am I going to show you examples of funny stuff?9
Funny stuff works for brands.Heres some funny stuff.
No that is too easy Ill give you some links at the end of the
talk though. 10
Funny stuff works for brands.Heres some funny stuff. how to be
funny.
Am I going to show you how to be funny?11
Funny stuff works for brands.Heres some funny stuff. how to be
funny.
No this is incredibly difficult and I dont know how. 12
Why do we find funny a challenge?
The question I want to put into the room is why making people
laugh is so difficult. 13
we = creative professionals.VSTHE INTERNET
Picture credit: Tom Carmony
And I want to draw a contrast between ourselves creative
professionals, earning money in jobs we take seriously, versus that
thing called the internet
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fabrico/3471559436/in/photolist-6hLDF3-5Z83Un-6wUpAw-555Xm3-51Z7j4-4w9QTQ-5qx1kA-dgPShE-39iCAV-5ZpMQC-6gcQ68-5qnVUf-7unzxL-4srAst-9zGBnb-57u6zV-9WLsfJ-D32SK3-6MHVuo-61CS6W-5xvsn9-8cJpgj-6Xfa17-8JYCPv-4D2Dk7-rSmbuc-vqYvEN-4oyExt-6NAfAC-9pRC6S-om7RBe-6hGuvz-bUvoKX-4sdaaf-daTqKi-puyhyF-cJPef-fQLgb-3ETSs1-7u3nEC-QspYH-7BmxsX-8t7ybW-gmmjfa-87f4Ei-bRJ6Yp-4WraFX-6xPhv3-4wFTVH-2c85jY14
we = creative professionals.VSTHE INTERNET
Picture credit: Tom Carmony
?
And I want to draw a contrast between ourselves creative
professionals, earning money in jobs we take seriously, versus that
thing called the internet
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fabrico/3471559436/in/photolist-6hLDF3-5Z83Un-6wUpAw-555Xm3-51Z7j4-4w9QTQ-5qx1kA-dgPShE-39iCAV-5ZpMQC-6gcQ68-5qnVUf-7unzxL-4srAst-9zGBnb-57u6zV-9WLsfJ-D32SK3-6MHVuo-61CS6W-5xvsn9-8cJpgj-6Xfa17-8JYCPv-4D2Dk7-rSmbuc-vqYvEN-4oyExt-6NAfAC-9pRC6S-om7RBe-6hGuvz-bUvoKX-4sdaaf-daTqKi-puyhyF-cJPef-fQLgb-3ETSs1-7u3nEC-QspYH-7BmxsX-8t7ybW-gmmjfa-87f4Ei-bRJ6Yp-4WraFX-6xPhv3-4wFTVH-2c85jY15
Brands rarely make people lol.
The question I want to put into the room is why making people
laugh is so difficult. 16
THE INTERNET CREATES A LOL EVERY SECOND.
In YouTube or Instagram rankings of channels by number of
subscribers, corporate brands barely appear. Only three have
cracked the YouTube Top 500. Instead youll find entertainers youve
never heard of, appearing as if from nowhere
Harvard business review, March 2016
How have we been beaten by a bunch of amateurs?
Lets understand humour a bit better.
Heres the science bit...
21
Humour is disturbANCE of:
the expectedthe normalthe sensiblePicture credit: Reigh
Leblanc
Experiment: people required to pick up sequence of increased
weights. The heaviest one: hollow.Picture credit: John Piekos
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jpiekos/5858401632/in/photolist-hiid5c-pHN9z-9Vzcss-ktEyJc-rybFSs-ktGhFB-cQREtm-9VFQGG-5LafZ7-5w5fEX-71x9op-sdAHw7-cQRC6h-b8vzf6-bmBjvg-b8vyNe-5R4DGM-o2XP4d-nMvwCf-nMwgv8-9orPqC-o4TPwm-nMvtgX-o2XLEL-o4TPzs-jxuUXT-nMvjJ6-73JZ41-b8vCmT-o4ZM8c-4WdGyo-ejY4Wt-o6MhZD-o6Mhi8-ek4P5y-MGGG-MGGz-o2XG39-o4TnW1-ek4QJJ-nMvgZ9-ek4Qkh-9pgiVS-ejY4fg-b8vB1M-nwLfxA-ejY63R-iYwoG-7E4hh1-oo8Jgy23
PRETTY MUCH EVERY JOKE USES DISTURBANCE:AN ENGLISHMAN, IRISHMAN
AND SCOTSMAN...WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD?KNOCK KNOCK! WHOS
THERE?WHATS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A...?
These are situations that begin normalised and end absurdly.
24
looking for sense in disturbance?
Good luck.
UNFORTUNATELY, WERE IN THE BUSINESS OF MAKING SENSE.
Picture credit: Monika Hoinkis100% DISTURBANCE-FREE
https://www.flickr.com/photos/monikahoinkis/4680224660/in/photolist-88znJC-kia6Tz-vQG6Th-hj4ZK1-4RWFxa-hj5ZGH-hj62dP-hj4WBh-hj55gY-5dgJT6-pw5Cvv-hj4YxG-5R5moa-hj5aqW-hj58FJ-hj4Y2m-59ApJ4-hj63LZ-hj4Fu4-hj4EbH-eDyVr2-hj5WRT-9oKQp-gYd1P1-o2w2zA-hj5bTL-hj52Yu-hj4Dh8-hj4Duc-hj59DA-hj61ue-hj622g-hj5WrK-eDyVJr-hj55Cs-hj4C4M-eDF55b-hj5VV4-eDEH17-eDF5fE-trbhY-hj55Tj-hj5dYh-eDF4of-hj4KcK-hj4YSj-hj568C-8JFgkt-hj62sX-hj54BE26
Our disadvantage: we are driven by sense and objective.
Heres our culture of sense.
The idea
Makes sense
Makes sense
Makes sense
Makes senseThe business problem
The brief
The strategy
THE BEST WE CAN HOPE FOR: SENSIBLE IDEAS WITH A FUNNY TWIST.
RATHER THAN IDEAS THAT ARE ESSENTIALLY FUNNY.
DID MONTY PYTHON WORRY ABOUT TARGET AUDIENCE?
WAS THERE ANY STRATEGY BEHIND HARLEM SHAKE?
DID ANYONE CARE WHAT FOXES SAY?
wait, BUT thats culture.
We should be making culture.
Maybe Im being unfair, and comparing culture to business
communication33
Easier said than done...
Some small steps.
1. work/play balance.
NOT THIS KIND OF PLAY.Picture credit: Arjun R
How much creative play do you have when youre at work but not
working?
creative play:Bands. Writing stories. Standup comedy.Open
mic.Acting.
DO senseless STUFF AND HAVE FUN.
2. Strategy IS THE ENEMY OF NONSENSE.
STRATEGISTS USE SENSE TO CONNECT PROBLEMS TO SOLUTIONS.
PROBLEM
STRATEGY(AND THEY LOVE ARROWS)
AND SHOULD HAVE THE JUDGEMENT FOR WHEN TO LEAVE THE PROCESS.
PROBLEM
STRATEGY
3. Sensible Ideas + funny twist are good.
3. Sensible Ideas + funny twist are good.
Funny ideas + sensible twist: better.
Nonsense idea
Twist that makes senseIdea that makes sense
Nonsense twistSAUZA 901 TEQUILA
WE HAVE TO STOP THIS FINGERPicture credit:
Japanexperterna.se
4. Collaborate with specialists.
Being funny is a skill, and you should work with pros.
ITS OK. IM FUNNY ENOUGH THANKS
THE CREATIVE EGO.
Chrisopher GuestBank of AmericaSteve CooganFostersJerry
SeinfeldAcura
50
5. Think small
Got a content strategy?Use it to try stuff out.
Fail fast, fail funny.
Personal experience:people love statistics.Pub idea:
@madeupstats!
65,000 fans.
your content strategy has room for nonsense.
A nice sensible overview1. POINTLESS, CREATIVE PLAY.2.
STRATEGISTS: KNOW WHEN TO STOP BEING STRATEGIC.3. FUNNY IDEAS WITH
SENSIBLE TWISTS.4. COLLABORATE WITH COMEDY SPECIALISTS. EARLY
DOORS.5. THINK SMALL, MESS ABOUT AND HAVE FUN.
There is no sense in humour.Thats where the fun comes from.
