Humorous vs. Serious Message

This is a guest post by Peta Andersen, a young adult writer & work-at-Starbucks mom juggling life with a toddler and loving it. You can read more of her work at her blog, *Insert Literary Blog Name Here*.

Video is an effective marketing tool--when it’s used the right way. Sometimes, we get so caught up in the idea of a video, or all the fun things we can do with just a few special effects and a sound mixer. But before you get into the nitty gritty of planning effects and lining up a cast, it’s important to remember that video marketing is still marketing--except that it opens up a conversation.

To get started, try asking yourself a few questions:

Do I want to be funny? Is humor appropriate for my product?
Do I want to be serious? Will my serious message be memorable?

Sometimes, these questions are enough--if you’re selling rubber chickens, you probably want to go the humor route. For most of us, though, it’s a bigger decision.

Serious or Humorous--There’s No Right or Wrong Answer

While it may seem like there are hard and fast rules about what’s funny and what’s not, humor is less about the rules and more about your message. The key part of any video marketing is forging an emotional connection with the consumer--how you make the connection is less important.

An Example: Cars

Car advertisements are everywhere--commercial TV, cable TV, even Hulu. But standing out in the auto industry is especially difficult because the essence of all cars is the same--four wheels, doors, a steering column and so on and so on.

For the most part, car advertisements come in two varieties:

1. Funny, with children, pets, or families
2. Serious, often with lingering action shots of the car in an elegant setting, luxury items, and sometimes with stylish couples or singletons

An excellent example of the former is the Volkswagen Darth Vader Super Bowl ad that aired earlier this year. The commercial, in which a child wearing a Darth Vader helmet tries to use the Force throughout his home, eventually ends with him “succeeding” in turning the VW’s lights on.

Why it works: Described in print, the ad doesn’t sound like much; in actuality, it’s a strong piece of video because it forges an emotional connection with the viewer. Equally important, though, is that this video stands out but it uses a pop culture reference in an out of the box way.

Lexus, the luxury car company, is known for the elegance of its advertising campaigns. Their Pursuit of Perfection campaign, featuring music and slow, lingering shots of thoroughbreds and the like, is a good example of a serious car advertisement.

Why it works: Again, Lexus forges an emotional connection with the viewer. Using images we traditionally associate with style, perfection, and an idealized life, this commercial creates a desire, then links that desire with their brand. Unlike the Volkswagen ad, Lexus’ approach is not unique, instead taking the more common theme (luxury) to an exceptional level.

5 Things to Consider When Choosing Your Style

1. What’s your skill set? And your budget? Make a detailed list of each of these before proceeding. If you want something beyond your skill set, find someone with video expertise--like Pixability--and set up a consultation.
2. What’s your message? When people ask about your product, how do you explain it to them? If you use humor in your everyday explanations, that could be a sign you want to produce a funny video. If you get straight to the point with your explanation, or highlight certain key features, then you probably want to use the same approach in your video.
3. What do people say about your product? Look for recurring themes in your feedback and testimonials. Are they fun? Lighthearted? Are they stylish or meaningful? Etc.
4. What do your competitors’ campaigns focus on? Is there a way to flip your product so that it stands out? A great example here is the the Old Spice Man ads. Instead of going the traditional dryness/scent body spray route, Old Spice used an exaggerated trope to make a point.
5. Who is your audience? Producing an ad is relatively easy; producing an ad that speaks to your key demographic is hard. You could create the wittiest, most sophisticated ad in the world for your product, but if you’re selling bubble guns to eight-year-olds, chances are, it won’t work.

Creating a video marketing campaign is an excellent way to reach out to your consumers--not just because it puts your product front and center, but because it gives you the opportunity to forge an emotional connection with your demographic. It doesn’t matter how you do this, with humor or a serious message, as long as you find what’s right for you, your consumers, and your product.

Posted by Rachel Blumenthal
Tuesday, 03 May 2011