Are stand-up comics the new-age marketing heroes?
The overeaching goal of all marketing strategies is to connect with the audience and increase brand recall. Marketing campaigns that can make people laugh are efficient in creating an emotional connection with them. Campaigns that are funny find a special place in the hearts of people and they are more likely to opt for the products and services corresponding to those campaigns.
Major Indian brands such as Pidilite’s Fevicol and Cadbury’s 5-Star bank upon hilarious messaging and visuals in order to boost the brand’s sales. While these and many other brands have been able to cement their position as humorous ad-film creators, others have often got it wrong. Using humour in marketing is like walking a tightrope. While the right balance can make for a wonderful show, one wrong step can make everything go haywire.
Convergence of brands & stand-up comics
Brands that are looking to utilise the power of humour are now pulling out the big guns. Relatively new brands that have a strong digital presence are now using stand-up comics in order to put across their message in a hilarious way. Ad-films featuring stand-up comics are relatable, easy to consume and unmistakably funny. Integration with professional comics is, therefore, the most effective way to create a successful, humour-based campaign.
The proliferation of digital media has given recognition to multiple stand-up comics across the country. By posting video clips on social media channels such as YouTube and Facebook, stand-up comics have created a niche for themselves. These comics are now no less than influencers, who can lure people towards particular brands and products. When these well-known celebrity faces are seen talking about brands and products in their signature, quirky styles, audiences are bound to connect with these brands. Audiences find these campaigns much more relatable and reliable than run of the mill ad campaigns featuring unknown models.
It has been established that brands use stand-up comics to tell their stories in a fun, easily digestible way. Comics deliver content in a way that the masses find very easy to relate and recall. Many brands, whether big or small, are using comics to communicate their messages as humour is an effective way to speak about the product without making it sound too promotional and fake.
Beating the competition through humour
Laughter is the best medicine, and even more so for brands looking for the right antidote to beat the competition around them. Newer brands that are competing with existing giants need to take great marketing decisions in order to emerge on top of their competitors that are already established in the market. Humour helps these brands create a presence and recognition among the masses. For instance, brands such as Wakefit, competing with age-old players, is rising to the top not only on the back of its superior products but also by employing stand-up comics who spread awareness about the brand in a light-hearted manner.
A funny, edgy ad campaign is the sleekest way to level the playing field for new brands so that they can easily compete with their long-standing counterparts. Humorous campaigns created using the creative stylings of stand-up comics are sure to give the audience a break from mundane messaging and provide a fresh new perspective on products that have existed since time immemorial. At the end of the day, marketing is all about engaging the audience, and no one does this better than stand-up comics do. With so many brands riding the humour wave to success, it is safe to say that stand-up comics are the new-age marketing superheroes.
(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)