Disadvantages
The disadvantages of humour in advertising all relate to the audience perception. Advertising humor needs to be well suited to its target audience. If they do not understand the joke, then the joke will be lost upon the audience. A sophisticated audience will understand your irony, satire, and puns, but a young audience may only understand slapstick comedy or a silly cartoon caricature. Inside jokes can be effective if the recipient understands that it was done for them, but nobody else will get it. Advertising humor has a relatively short life. The first time a consumer seeЎ¦s the advertisement, they may laugh out loud. But after a while, although they still may smile at the joke, itЎ¦s not so funny any more.
Funny ads need to be replaced periodically which in turn increases cost. Another point to consider when using humor in advertising is that different things are funny to different people. A commercial that may leave one person gripping their sides from laughter may leave a bad taste in anotherЎ¦s mouth. The target market must always be considered. WhatЎ¦s funny in a client presentation may not be funny on an airplane, in a cinema or in a hospital. Advertising humor can backfire. If you make a joke at the expense of any one group, you will surely alienate them which will in turn lose customers and devalue the companyЎ¦s image. Advertising humor also needs to be product specific.
Everyone has seen funny ads they have liked so much that they have forgotten what was being sold. Advertising humor must relate directly to the company or products if they want to be remembered. Corporate image and industrial advertising are serious business. Unknown, risky, expensive, or sensitive products are not normally suited to the lighter touch of advertising humor.
The Essay on Sociology of Humor
Humor is an important part of everyday interaction. It serves mainly as a social lubricant that creates a lighter atmosphere between a speaker and an audience. Provided that it is not provoke offensive behavior, humor can be used as a first step towards building individual relationships. A more relaxed ambiance between people, in turn, is conducive to friendliness. In the sociological context, ...
