Funny Billboards
Importance of humor in advertising
Imagine driving past a billboard that makes you chuckle – that’s the power of humor in advertising. More than just a chuckle, though, this funny billboard has effectively captured your attention and….
Holy shit.
I don’t care what my boss says. I can’t continue writing like this.
Nothing’s less funny than talking about what makes something funny. I feel like the guy explaining a joke. No one likes that guy.
Let’s do this better.
Impact of Funny Billboards
Look, you know when someone tells you a joke about a duck and the next time you see a duck, you start cracking up hysterically?
That’s why people choose funny when it comes to billboards. Look at some legendary commercials from the past. Skittles Touch. The Man Your Man Could Smell Like. Any Geico ad from the last 20 years.
Now check out their YouTube viewing figures. People will actually go out of their way to rewatch these ads. That’s right, ads. The thing people can’t stop skipping.
But if it’s funny, people will seek it out. Funny ads not only command attention, they also have insane replay value.
It’s why people usually only watch Requiem For a Dream only one time but they rewatch Airplane once a year.
People like to laugh and if your brand is the one making them laugh, they’re more likely to give you their money.
Elements of Funny Billboards
Okay, my boss seems to think that you all need me to explain the elements of a funny billboard to you.
Well, fuck that. I’m going to assume you all are smart enough to recognize what’s funny and what’s not.
I’ll just leave you with some basic tips.
First things first, if you’re not “the funny one” in your office, just admit it and get someone else to come up with your funny billboard campaign.
Because nothing is worse than a funny ad from someone who ain’t. Here are some signs you might not be the funny chuckle merchant you think you are.
- If the only people who laugh at your jokes are your employees.
- If your mom calls your brother “the funny one”
- If not even the crickets chirp after you tell a joke
Understanding the target audience and their sense of humor
Okay now that we’ve established who should be making your funny ads, let’s talk a bit about what they should look like.
Humor is a subjective matter. What makes one person laugh might not resonate with another. Thus, a deep understanding of your target audience’s sensibilities and preferences is key to crafting funny billboards that hit the mark. This includes understanding their sense of humor, cultural references, and experiences.
If your brand is a Gen Z streetwear brand, your “Hillary-ous” Bill Clinton joke probably won’t have your audience in stitches.
If the data shows that 80 percent of your audience is Catholic, maybe ease up on the pope jokes.
If you own a life insurance company, maybe save the house fire jokes for later.
Balancing humor with the brand message
While humor can enhance an ad’s appeal, it’s essential to ensure it doesn’t overshadow the brand’s core message.
Because while it’s imperative that your funny ad is actually funny, it’s also supposed to be an ad.
Nothing’s worse for an advertiser who makes a gut-bustingly funny ad that has the audience going “So funny but what was that an ad for?”
Look, you’re not a standup comedian. If you’re booking a billboard, you’re trying to get money. Make sure the basics are there – a conceptual message, your brand logo, etc.
Remember, it’s a lot easier to come up with a message first and then come up with a joke after rather than trying to make a concept fit a joke.
Potential Risks and Considerations
Cultural sensitivity and potential backlash
Don’t be a dick.
Ensuring the humor aligns with the brand image
Don’t tank all the work your branding team did.
Legal and ethical considerations in humor-based advertising
Listen to your lawyers. You’re paying them for a reason.
Measuring the Success of Funny Billboards
Key metrics to track effectiveness
Understanding the success of your funny billboard campaign involves keeping an eye on key performance indicators. These might include audience engagement, brand recall, social media mentions, or direct impact on sales or website traffic.
That said, don’t swear off humor completely if your first one or two funny ad campaigns didn’t do too well. Get a holistic picture. Was your billboard only running at 3 AM while it was raining? Was your expected audience someplace different than you expected?
All that is super easy to track with our DOOH platform at seeblindspot.com.
With us, booking digital billboards programmatically, has never been easier and we’re constantly updating it with things like AI integration and hyper-targeted options to make sure you deploy your ads where they need to be.
Not sure how to close this blog post other than a joke.
What do you get when you cross a joke and a rhetorical question?
