All this gives rise to a bizarre liminal state in which ads want to leverage humour, without the actual risks attached to trying to be funny. This is found nowhere in human culture except advertising, where the instinct to want to be liked meets a series of Powerpoints whose only purpose is to stop people from getting fired.
The result is a proliferation of ads that signal to you that an attempt at humour is being made, but also that you're not expected to laugh, or even smile. We use the phrase 'Ad-Funny' to describe this type of script (as opposed to the delight-inducing, though sadly rarer bird 'Actual Funny').
How about Dad does something klutzy at the end, and everyone rolls their eyes? Typical Dad. As long as what he does isn't original, and has no set up or consequence, and takes about three seconds, because we've just been told that the packshot now has to be nine-and-a-half.
Nobody has ever made a sitcom that wasn't at least attempting to make you laugh.
This insults nobody more than the viewer, telling them quite explicitly that the brand understands that being funny is something they might enjoy, but isn't prepared to do them the service of putting their back into it, and hopes they understand.
To be clear, this is not about levels of comedy. Every brand has its own tone. It's about intention. Nobody has ever made a sitcom that wasn't at least attempting to make you laugh, but this type of 'comedy' advertising guarantees failure because it isn't brave enough to try.
So if it's hard, and unpredictable, and requires courage, and it turns out a yawning fiery chasm just swallowed Ipswich, then why bother?
The Link LonkMarch 01, 2021 at 11:42PM
https://ift.tt/3sIuuYW
How to be funny in the end times - Shots
https://ift.tt/3eOfySK
Funny
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