In Focus

14 hilariously effective online campaigns

Jim Nichols
Creative Posted on January 28, 2009

3. Brand funny uses constraints to enhance the laughter

Often, teams view creative constraints as barriers to great ideas. And they can be at times. But they can also be ways to create humor in service to building and changing brand perceptions. Surprise and redirection are, of course, two of the keystones of funny (at least American style). By challenging the creative constraints online, brands can truly deliver chuckles.

Wario Land: Shake It!
Wii has transformed the gaming business. This is a viral site for the Wii title "Wario Land," where the key difference was the addition of shaking the controller in an otherwise telegraphic side scroller. The difference really came to life in this powerful and funny destruction of the rules about how web pages work.

Check out the brand's execution to see how breaking the rules of how online and, in particular, online advertising works to really dramatize what's special about this title.

Apple: New York Times ads
Banners occupy clearly defined spaces -- largely ignorable on pages. That's how many consumers see them. But by flowing messages together, and using the look and feel of the content on the page to enhance their presence, Apple drives home the conventional wisdom about Microsoft Vista.

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Comments

Jim Nichols
Jim Nichols January 28, 2009 at 10:06 PM

Hi Tim,

I appreciated your thoughts, especially on Tea Partay which still makes me laugh out loud at the 50th viewing. Perhaps Tea Partay is the American equivalent of Little Britain's Vicky Pollard -- I get why she's funny, and I can even be slightly amused, but as America is 100% chavless, she'll never "speak" to me like it may speak to someone in London or Liverpool or Bradford. Well yeah but no but yeah but.

Truth be told, I suppose we aren't entirely chavless now that Posh is here.

Anyway, loved what you had to say.

Tim Trent
Tim Trent January 28, 2009 at 8:14 AM

I think this proves that humour is not international. I also cannot see myself participating in the viral part.

the New England Tea Party is, to me, pathetic instead of funny. It goes on far too long, and totally misses people by the huge lack of anyone, male or female, being drop dead gorgeous. So there is no way I would pass this to my straight nor to my gay friends, not even to mock it.

The Durex one is "cute", gets the point (pun intended) across, and sells condoms, maybe. I did viral that, to a friend in another humour zone, Germany. Ok, stop laughing. The Germans giggle as much as we all do. He would not viral it either.

Fat Boy Dancing? Not the beer ad, no way. This went viral though: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=j5wnGV37GoA I'll see if I can embed it.

Good article, because it shows the huge difficuties of a viral campaign