Death to Evergreen and Why Funny Ads Work
The Power of Comedy in Advertising
The one where the guy holds a table up with no hands.
Most brands still talk about video like it is a memo. “Here is who we are. Here is what we do. Here is our tagline that survived six rounds of approvals.” Meanwhile, everyone and their mother, hell, even their grandmother at this point, is TikToking stuff that is funnier, weirder, sharper, and made by a kid on their phone in thirty seconds. That is your competition. Not the other bank down the street or the other roofing company in town or whatever your business does.
If your commercial isn’t entertaining, it’s not working.
And I don’t mean everything has to be a joke. I mean it has to feel like something a human would actually watch on purpose. Your commercial is a Trojan horse. You earn your way in with entertainment, and once the audience lets their guard down, you talk about your product.
Most “safe” work reverses that. It starts inside the brand deck filled with key messages, proof points, and disclaimers. Then somebody goes, “Can we make this fun somehow?” and they sprinkle on a line about “bringing joy” over stock footage of a family eating salad. That is how you end up with wallpaper. Technically correct. Emotionally invisible. But the brands that win, especially in “serious” categories, flip that.
Think about the funniest commercials you’ve seen. You almost always describe them by setting up the situation first. “It’s the one where the guy is stuck in the ceiling.” “The one where the grandma tackles the mascot.” You talk about the little movie you just watched. The logo comes last. That’s the goal.
So how do we do it?
Start from a real human problem, not a brand problem. “People are overwhelmed by credit card offers” is a human problem. “We need to increase awareness of our new rewards program” is a brand problem. If the script is built on the second one, you’re already boxed in.
Make one strong choice and protect it. One big gag. One clear situation. One sharp POV. “The world’s most brutally honest dentist.” “The bank ad that admits banks are boring.” “The fence company that treats your backyard like a stadium.” Pick the hook then have every scene, every line, every shot serve that idea. If it doesn’t, cut it loose.
Quit worshiping “evergreen.” Evergreen is the death of uniqueness. It means “nothing specific enough to go out of date.” Which also means nothing specific enough to feel real. You can make work that lasts years by being honest and sharp, not by sanding off every detail that scares Janice from legal.
Fear is what dictates most brand decisions.
So what’s underneath all this fear? What are brands saying? “We want to stand out, but we don’t want to look silly or risky or unprofessional.” Totally fair. Nobody wants to be the meme of the week for the wrong reason. But here is the twist. Playing it safe does not keep you out of danger. It just quietly wastes your media spend. I’ve seen a lot of businesses waste money looking competent and forgettable. So why not try to stand out. In a world of mediocrity, be the outlier. Be the Old Spice, the Skittles, the Geico in your category. Be the brand that swerves left while everyone else goes right.
But don’t get me wrong. Humor is not the only answer. There are plenty of effective ad campaigns that are thought provoking, emotional and motivational, but comedy is the cleanest way to break through. A funny commercial is like a little jolt of recognition. “Oh, that’s so me.” Or “That’s absolutely my dad.” Or “That’s my boss, and I am sending this to co-workers immediately.”
That’s what you want. You want the text messages that say, “Remind you of anyone.” You want the spot that gets brought up at the barbecue, during the game, at your grandma’s funeral…. okay, maybe wait until the reception, but still, bring it up. She would have wanted it that way.
Because that’s the power of a comedic Trojan horse. Once it’s in the audience’s head, it’s too late. Your product, your brand, your logo, they’ve already rolled through the gate. So make it entertaining. Make it true. Make one hilariously bold choice and stand behind it. Then get ready for the phones to ring.
If you want help turning your brand’s story into a cinematic Trojan horse that actually gets remembered, contact us at hello@goodvideo.co for a complimentary consultation.
