Ask an Expert: Humor's fine for Super Bowl ads, but not yours

— -- Q: All the recent talk about all of the funny Super Bowl ads over the years has reignited a debate I have with my business partner (and husband). I want to try some funny ads but he insists that straightforward advertising is the way to go. Don't you think funny catches their eye more? — Tanya

A: Humor is a very tricky advertising challenge and if not done correctly it can backfire and end up costing you a lot of money. And even when it works, you may not get the result you want (i.e., a sale), so I say, be careful!

Example: Back when I was still practicing law full-time, my firm decided to launch a cable TV ad campaign. It was an expensive proposition and so we really worked hard at getting it right. Finally, we ended up with an ad that went something like this:

[Lawyer with client]: "Mumbo jumbo, jumbo mumbo, mumbo jumbo!" (etc.)

[Me into the camera]: At the Strauss Law Firm, you won't get a lot of mumbo jumbo, but you will get some straight talk…"

We thought it was funny, on point and catchy, but apparently not a lot of other people did because the campaign fell flat and never really accomplished much.

Look, Budweiser can run funny ads far better than almost any small business, for several reasons:

• They have a huge budget• They have a slew of people whose job is to make funny, memorable ads• They have the time and resources to brand themselves accordingly

We don't.

When a small business advertises, it almost always has one or two goals in mind: To make a sale or get a new customer. Sure, large corporations have the same goals, but they have the ability to go about it from several angles (print, events, online, pricing, branding, etc.), not just with a funny ad.

So I say, approach humor in your advertising with caution (unless of course, your business is about being funny, that is a different story). Your job is to sell, not amuse.

Sure humor can be a good hook, but usually, people expect the hook to relate to the business. That is yet another reason why humor does not always work for small businesses — it may confuse your intended audience, who already have short attention spans.