A Look At Funny Ads And The Power Of Storytelling In Advertising

A Look At Funny Ads And The Power Of Storytelling In Advertising

Advertisements are becoming more and more extreme perhaps even larger than life. Every advertising agency wants to make a big splash – the break out ad – the award winning ad or the most re-called ad.

One can argue and go around in circles regarding strategy, insights, messaging, statistics and communication but at the end of the day what creative agencies have to do is deliver what can resonate with the public or their target audience. And what is the most over-looked element in this process of marketing? Story-telling.

Nothing will make sense to your end target consumer if your ad doesn’t carry a powerful story. Without an attention gripping story, all the marketing jargon fades into the void.

And that is why advertising agencies had to start getting more creative with their story-telling and the ads had to be bolder, wackier or larger than life in order to stand out and hold the short attention spans.

Many agencies decided to go through a serious route when it came to story-telling. There is no doubt that most sentimental ads with a strong emotional message means that the consumers will get attached to the story. But there are examples when creative agencies have taken a funnier route to communicate their messages for brands, products or services. It certainly had the desired impact of sending out what the product or the service stands to do but it also entertained the consumers along the way.

Here are three larger than life advertisements that used the power of story-telling which not only hilariously entertained but also committed the products and services into public memory:

1. Fevikwik ad:

There are so many elements in this ad which make it amusing and chuckle-worthy. The ad starts with an aristocratic man wearing fishing gear and waiting for a catch near a water body. It is shown that the man has been unsuccessful for a while and is annoyed with the noise around him which is scaring the fishes away. The next scene shows a local villager come and sit next to the guy waiting for his fish. The villager applies four dots of the Fevikwik adhesive on his own stick and dips it under water. After a vigorous shake, the villager removes the stick and we see four fishes stuck to those very points where he applied the adhesive, leaving the aristocratic man dumbfounded and shocked!

Cadbury shots ads were hilarious in the way they depicted a surprising windfall of money or some other gains. In one of the ads for its ‘Mann mei ladoo phutaa’campaign, we see a water-melon seller passing his day counting his fruits as a thief escaping the police stumbles near his cart. At first it seems as if the thief will attack the fruit-seller but instead he climbs a wall next to the seller.

2. Cadbury shots: Once on top he looks at the seller and signals to him that he will be killed if he tells anything to the police. The seller merely nods as the thief swings his legs to jump over the wall. But while doing so, a bundle of cash falls from the thief’s bag into a wooden box below and the fall closes the box’s lid on impact.

This is when we first hear the narrator’s voice asking the seller – ‘Beta, mann mein ladoo phutaa?’

(Son, are you feeling ecstatic?’) as a cartoon bubble forms on screen with the product in it and the seller enjoys the Cadbury shot reaching out to the fantasy bubble. Then the police arrive with a wanted picture of the thief and the seller simply looks at the wall. The next shot we see the police have caught the thief, who is shouting his innocence pointing to the empty bag. It cuts to the seller sheepishly looking away from the scene and spotting a line on the poster that mentions the bounty on thief’s head. Once again, the purple bubble showing the product forms near him and the narrator asks the same question. The seller nods, reaches out to the fantasy bubble and pulls out a Cadbury shot, savouring his reward and other windfalls.

3. Happy Dent Ad: In a by-gone era setting of an Indian royal palace, this ad depicts servants running around and arranging themselves before their master enters the household premises. Once everyone is in place we see the servants opening up the product and chewing it with their mouths. When they flash a smile – they literally flash it. And with their sparkly white teeth, they light up the palace and its surroundings. This is one of the most memorable ad that comes to mind when talking about larger than life ads which not only ‘highlights’ the product’s message but also is wacky in its depiction.

These ads have been cemented into public memory due to their hilarious and witty depictions of incidents involving the products. They used story-telling packed with wit and imagination to show the usefulness of their products, albeit in a humorous way. These ads also used the classic elements of story-telling which includes: specific details of characters and their backgrounds, showing conflicts and resolutions, showing what the world is like if a product/service is missing and finally using the concept of ‘show, don’t tell’ in their advertisements. They had very dialogue, more visuals and action and of course, minimal product time and yet, consumers understood the message.

Stories always have a larger impact than the conventional idea of ‘inform-and-educate’ version of advertisement. Audiences remember and take note of good stories. Stories help organisations explore their brand – whether it’s their personal story or a specific relatable story involving characters. It is time to give story-telling its deserving place, and place it higher in the elements or marketing order. Stories are the best way to make long-lasting bonds with the target audiences and make strong emotional attachments.

After-all, isn’t that the aim for marketing and advertising?

Thank You â˜ş

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