Company Blog

Humor Sells

by Adam Zack — July 23, 2015

A priest, a minister and a rabbi want to see who’s best at his job. So they go into the woods, and they find a bear, and they try to convert it to their particular religion. Later, they get together, and the priest says, “Well, when I found the bear, I read to him from the Catechism and sprinkled him with holy water”. And the minister says, “Well, I found a bear by the stream. I preached God’s holy word to him. The bear was so mesmerized that he let me baptize him”. They both looked down at the rabbi, who’s laying on a gurney in a body cast and they said, “What happened?” And the rabbi said, “Well, I never should have started with the circumcision”.

It’s funny, right? Humor in our daily lives has the unique and encompassing ability to ease tensions, to lighten a situation, to make us relax. Laughter, or even just a natural smile is a proven stress reliever. But how is it relative to our business as grocers and marketers? Is it even something you should consider when marketing or creating an ad? Absolutely. Check out this store sign:

Sign

That makes you smile AND it makes you want to buy chips. Probably two bags, since most of you considerate people would want to get one that your spouse likes too.

Ad themes are a great way to communicate your creativity and reinforce your differentiation. And they don’t have to be Steve Martin-funny one liners, just something a little clever. For example:

Roast Sale – If Braising You is Wrong, I Don’t Wanna be Right”

10 for 10 Sale – 10 Times Better Than Most!

BBQ (or other) Sauce Sale – Time to Get Sauced!

Strawberry Sale – Strawberry Fields Forever (or at least through Tuesday)

Beer Sale – Our Two Favorite Words: Beer. Sale

You get the idea. Be creative with your marketing, because the big chains aren’t. They are about as funny as a fart in a space suit. The only time the chain store ads evoke any kind of humor is when they make a mistake.

funny