Humor Me...

"You know the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick."

GOP VP candidate Sarah Palin probably used more humor, like the joke above, in her RNC speech than her opponent.

Some pundits felt the humor made her more likable. Some felt otherwise.

Again, I'll side step politics and address the marketing issue: is funny good in marketing?

Humor can be a powerful tool. But it can be a double-edged sword. What's funny to me may not be funny to you.

Some humor can be corny. Some offensive. And some a dead-on bell ringer.

Salespeople can use humor to break down barriers and get prospects and customers to open up.

But humor in advertising may not sell more product. According to New York University marketing professor Mark Levit:

"Humor in advertising tends to improve brand recognition, but does not improve product recall, message credibility, or buying intentions. In other words, consumers may be familiar with and have good feelings towards the product, but their purchasing decisions will probably not be affected."

Hmm.

So are marketers wasting their money on all those funny commercials out there?

I believe if the humor is directly tied to the products benefits or selling message, then the humor can be persuasive. But humor for humor's sake is not as effective.

Just this morning Beth mentioned a TV commercial. I remembered the sponsor: IBM. She didn't. (But it took me a while to recall it just now!)

Was that effective advertising? I don't think so.

So, what's the difference between a marketer and a politician?

I'll let you come up with your own punch line. (I don't want to be corny or offensive.)

Homework: Can you use humor? Is your competition using it? Can humor help you stand apart?