LOL MARKETING

So you have a message...who cares? Oh, you have a funny message...OK let’s hear it? *Raucous laughter*, I might just pass that along. And just like that someone cares about what you have to say!

The Art of marketing lies in the emotional content it provides, information can be sourced but emotions are evoked. Psychology 101 peeps...we move away from painful experiences and move towards pleasure. If you strike an emotional chord positively, you strike gold in the mind of consumers and whilst anyone can be seen, few are remembered! We’ve all experienced this...you’re at a social gathering of sorts, your topic radar shoots to common ground (funny) and there it is “So...uh... you see that new Nando’s Ad?” Your previously unengaged counterpart smiles “Dude, that’s some funny shit”...your mind moves towards pleasure, you recall emotions that made an impact and you become one of the viral minions Nando’s produced simply by making you laugh! I know this because I’m one of them.

So what’s important to consider?

1. Your product/service - Ideally your brand should represent an emotion that stands alone over time rather than a static thought with little personality.

2. Let the funny evolve naturally - If you have to find it, it’s not there. The worst thing you could do is sabotage your campaign with slap-stick, wannabe humour.

3. Viral effect - ensures that you are facilitating that pass-on-ability to your consumers. Research your clients so that you know what communication channels they prefer disseminating your message through.

4. Now as in Yesterday! - The time in which you act is directly proportional to the amount of exposure you generate. Invest in current marketing initiatives, and soon what you paid for generates volumes of PR that you won’t pay a cent for.

Practical application at its best (BLUE’s pick for the best of 2010) . Not rated one of the Top 30 Hottest Marketing Brands (2010 Advertising Age) for Mahala!

Nando’s has churned out viral ambassadors by integrating their tongue-in-cheek humour with current newsworthy events and taking some politically loaded risks. Their campaigns have been simple, brazen and intellectually armed with humour. Cell C got knocked off its pedestal when Nando’s cleverly “hi-jacked” their campaign, revamped it with a cheeky mock-style humour and took Cell C’s current news and made it theirs. All the while punting Nando’s at the forefront of consumers’ minds and tongues. BRILLIANT.

Written by: Roxanne Marais