Getting brands to funny by Annie Sloan
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Annie is a Content Creator for the advertising and television industries. Her largely comedic work has been screened to over 1.4 million nightly viewers, and her projects have appeared on Funny or Die, the Huffington Post, MTV, and the New York Times. She specializes in working with brands and agencies to create campaigns that go beyond “viral video”, and move the conversation towards authentic connection over shared humor. Ms. Sloan graduated from the USC Film School and can create a commercial jingle for any product imaginable.
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Getting brands to funny by Annie Sloan
- 6. Brands are using humor more than ever. About half of all ads globally make use of humor. In the US, 52% are humorous/lighthearted, in Europe 49%. Social media is seen as a entertainment medium more than an instructional medium.
- 9. Being successful doesn’t just mean being funny, or entertaining.
- 10. So how do we get brands to the right kind of funny?
- 12. FOUR MAGIC STEPS
- 13. STEP ONE: Get Some Strategy
- 14. Align with marketing goals, aka, know how to sell sh*t. STRATEGY
- 15. Know who you’re talking to. STRATEGY
- 17. Create something that goes beyond the $$$. STRATEGY
- 20. Know your voice, or make your voice. CHECK YOURSELF
- 22. Find the right way in. CHECK YOURSELF
- 23. Only offend the right people – including yourself. CHECK YOURSELF
- 25. STEP THREE: Find the Right Balance
- 26. Don’t make it about the product… But don’t leave the product until the end. FIND THE RIGHT BALANCE
- 27. Make what will get shared… with the right risk. FIND THE RIGHT BALANCE
- 29. Make it as universal and timeless as you need to. FIND THE RIGHT BALANCE
- 32. STEP FOUR: Trust No One
- 33. Work with actual writers. TRUST NO ONE
- 34. Work with actual actors. TRUST NO ONE
- 37. Don’t fall in love. TRUST NO ONE
- 38. FOUR MAGIC STEPS
- 39. FOUR STEPS 1. Get Some Strategy 2. i-Check Yourself 3. Find the Right Balance 4. Trust No One
Editor's Notes
- Story, quote on GARY, Shipped your pants. Everyone is getting into the humor game these days. And all of us here, as content makers, are creating content for brands, or for our own brands. So it’s my job to work with brands to get them to the right kind of funny. So let’s start with an example. And because this is the best confernece ever, let’s start with a scatalogical example.
- How many of you are familiar with the commercial “I Shipped My Pants”? And how many of you know what company that commercial was for? I’ll count to three and you can yell it out.
- How many of you are familiar with the commercial “I Shipped My Pants”? And how many of you know what company that commercial was for? I’ll count to three and you can yell it out.
- Great, that was a very funny spot. And lots of memes were made about it. Even this one that combines K-Mart and Ghandi. The spot has 22 million views on Youtube. Ok, now that we know who made the commercial… since it went live, how many of you in this audience have shipped their pants? Obviously, K-Mart did get some brand recognition out of this campaign. Tons of it. And their aim is to be more relevant to younger, hipper shoppers. And that, as some level, was a success. But that doesn’t necessarily translate to sales.
- Most people here are making content for something, or someone. Or, maybe you’re the brand. You’re still selling something. Yes, adding entertainment it ads is necessary… because in these days, broadcast advertising doesn’t work very well. People just skip commericals. So we have to create con
- Why? Because it works!
- Entertainment is necessary in advertising these days, and really, it’s a blessing.. Because it’s entertaining. Brands have been adding more and more funny ads to their campaigns these days… because now that we can all skip commercials – most of the time – brands need to give us something we actually want to watch. Something we voluntarily sit through, and then pass on to our friends. QUOTE HERE
- So humor is everywhere. In this spot this Mom is flirting with the Hamburger Helper. As content marketing gets bigger and bigger to take over traditional broadcast, brands are are toeing the line between taking a risk and being tone deaf in the content they create. The pressure to generate results — whether it’s earned media impressions or larger brand awareness — is driving more brands to gamble on creative.
- Because for Dollar Shave Club ad, there are thousands of brand videos that barely make it to 2000 views. And, there views of content take a nose dive after one week. So if you’ve spent a ton of money on your video what then? And lastly… views or shares doesn’t equal money spent. In fact last year one brand had a cumulative 40 million hits on two viral videos, and their sales dropped 4.2%. And maybe that’s something that we here as makers of content don’t care too much about… but it’s an important element to think about when you’re making content for other people.
- That’s where I come in. I work for a global ad agency as a creative leader, I write and direct comedic campaigns, sketch shows, make viral videos for my own brand, and for other brands. I help brands get to the right kind of funny. But if I see her we’ll have to bare-fist fight to the death.
- People are paying us, and likely many of you, to sell shit. So how is your content selling it? Know what you want to get out of it. Are you looking for brand recognition? Or to sell a specific thing? Are you looking for likes? Time spent lingering over the piece of content, or a click thru.
- Men and women like – hetero-normatively speaking – different things. And different cultures like different things. And different ages like different things. So pin down who you’re talking to. 95% of 12-15 year olds are online. Viral videos will work great for them. But older people might not be online as much. For example…
- Diabetes pen story.
- We all know that shares are king these days. Who’s going to share it? And why? And what about blogs writing about it? Even people hating on it. Get people writing on how it’s made, who made it, what the actors had to go through, get the funny story behind the story.
- Don’t go off the map.
- This is an ad for Skittles – a brand who has really captured the youth market with absurdist and sometimes creepy spots we like to call “Oddvertising”.
- Cisco computers… who cares? Sell me a story.
- Don’t mock people, and don’t be the butt of your own joke. Unless you’re Charmin.
- Add Charmin Viz
- Don’t throw out the rest. People still need to know how to use the product, or that it isn’t children’s candy, even though it’s candy colored and tastes delicious. It’s just soap.
- Budweiser examples: Swear Jar Budweiser. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJJL5dxgVaM Clothing drive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew9cEATPzDE
- Add bud stuff
- Humor is often based on context and relevance, and current affairs. Different countries think different things are funny… even when people speak the same language. That’s why, in ad circles, comedy spots or campaigns don’t win very many awards.
- For example, this holiday campaign by Harvey Nichols. Types of humor that don’t travel well include mockery, parodies, kitsch, off-the-wall and dark humor, as well as humor that depends on subtleties. In addition, there are some specific country issues.
- So something like this… works everywhere. Because it has universal themes… and you wouldn’t need any words at all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIutgtzwhAc This one’s for the Germans.
- People are paying us, and likely many of you, to sell shit.
- Gorg swimming :10 seconds
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R228MSqhm8 Dispens joke clammering for his sevices
- Also, isn’t this slide depressing? I mean… If you remember one thing from this presentation it’s… trust no one and don’t fall in love. Don’t fall in love with girls with Candy mono-brows, unless the world is ready for it. Don’t fall in love with M Phelps deep stare. He may be looking at the pizza behind you.
- To put theme as a clever acronym I added the I in number two. Summary slide -