Analyzing An Advertisement - I Admire Alliteration

Humor is something that works well in advertising ... at least it does for me. If an ad makes me laugh, there is a much better chance that I will remember it. Because I think that humor plays such an important role in effective advertising I have chosen a few humorous ads to analyze.

Scratch and win - The first ad that I found when I Googled "funny advertisement," was the Verizon Yellow Pages with the headline "Scratch and win." It took me a second to get what the headline was referring to (I was looking at a tiny version of the image), but once I got it I couldn't help but to laugh. This ad was a unique take a on an old phrase. It puts together two images that I am familiar with in an unfamiliar way.

This ad was posted in a subway station in New York City. Most people who saw the ad were probably passing quickly through the subway station. For an ad to be effective in this environment it needs to be big, easy to understand, and eye catching. "Scratch and win" meets these three categories, but goes above and beyond this. So often the same ad is posted over and over in subway stations. Repetition is what helps the ad stick in the consumer's mind. This ad uses humor to accomplish this feat. A commuter walking by this add will read it and laugh. Because they are laughing and engaging with ad they will be more likely to remember it later in the day. Humor helps make this ad effective.

BMW vs Audi - The second ad that I want to look at is for BMW. Upon first look, this ad appears to be for Audi. It mentions Audi in the first line of text leading the reader to assume the car is an Audi. After a more thorough reading of the ad, the consumer learns that the ad is really for BMW. BMW is poking fun at Audi for winning a lesser award than the one presented to BMW. The ad is effective because BMW is putting themselves above Audi. They are clearly telling the consumer that, "Audi is good, but BMW is better."

This ad makes me laugh for different reasons then the "Scratch and win" advertisement. This is funny for the same reason that many comics are funny, poking fun at someone is funny. Human nature draws us towards items that will lift us above others. We all want to be the best. BMW is making fun of Audi (in a humorous way) proving that they are better, and people will buy BMWs to prove that they are better than Audi owners.

Screaming Child - The last commercial that I want to look at is a T.V. commercial from France. I recommend watching this commercial before reading the rest of my post. At the beginning, it is unclear what this commercial is advertising. It was my desire to find out what the commercial was advertising that kept me watching until the very end. Throughout the commercial the tension between the child and the man continued to grow. You could see the man's discomfort building as the child continues to scream. The climax of this commercial comes at the end when the consumer learns that it is selling condoms.

This commercial is aimed towards the sexually active single male. In a humorous way it is letting guys know that they better use a condom or they are going to end up like the guy in the movie, thus ending their single male life that they have come to love so much.