Has anyone else noticed how some ad campaigns really think they’re the funniest thing ever? I was working on a project recently where we tried to inject humor, but I kept imagining the client cringing hard at the punchline. There’s definitely a fine line between clever and cringe in advertising; what’s the wildest example you’ve come across?
It’s tricky, for sure. I remember a campaign where we aimed for humor but had to scrap a punchline because it felt too forced — definitely learned to test our jokes with focus groups first. Have you found certain audiences react differently, even to the same joke?
Yeah, I once scrapped a whole campaign because we overthought a joke; testing humor in focus groups definitely saves the cringe. What’s been your go-to method for testing?
I totally get that feeling — trying to inject humor can feel like walking a tightrope — i once worked on an ad where we thought we nailed the punchline, but it came off more awkward than funny. Testing ideas with your team before going live can really save you from those cringe moments. What’s the most surprising reaction you’ve had to a joke that was supposed to land?