In the December 14, 2006 edition of The New York Times, an advertising article entitled “Online, P.&G. Gets a Little Crazy” talks about how traditional companies are pushing into the brave world of new media with a provocative effort asserting that men can suffer from menstral cramps. Huh? The marketing plan is to sell more ThermaCare products intended to treat women’s menstrual cramps through a campaign targeted toward men with cramps. There are many flaws with the campaign which are detailed in the article. Sales results are still out.
Yes, it is increasingly harder to get people’s attention today. Yes, the Internet appeals to a younger, hipper audiences then print and television. And, yes, this audience enjoys humor. But this is also an audience that can’t distinguish between reality and parody. How do I know this? Most young people who watch The Daily Show think it’s a real news show and many people I know who watch The Colbert Report believe that the character Stephen Colbert plays is Stephen Colbert and not a satirical parody of Bill O’Reily. Just yesterday someone said to me, “I’m not enjoying Colbert any more because he’s so anti-Christmas.” Huh? The lines between Stephen Colbert the person and Stephen Colbert the character on The Colbert Report were erased for her. I don’t know if anyone in the olden days confused Carol O’Connor with Archie Bunker. But that was then and this is now.
I see this as an attempt to throw stuff against the wall to see what sticks. The executives at P.&G. deserve better from their marketing executives. And humor? Well, there is a proper way to use humor effectively. Take a look at a campaign I did for a client of mine that incorporates the use of cartoons from the New Yorker.
