Jokes hit parts other ads can’t
The increasingly international nature of comedy, and mounting pressure on agency budgets, are combining to make humour a popular advertising tool. John Shannon is president of Grey International
The spirit of last week’s Cannes International Advertising Festival could not have been further removed from the bitterness and controversy that marked the event a year ago.
While Cannes 1995 went down in advertising history as the awards ceremony without awards, this year there was no shortage of good work that deserved to be, and was, recognised. Nor was there any great desire for a repeat of last year’s debate over quality standards, as advertising agencies from around the world showed commercials and press work which, for the most part, were genuinely original.
The atmosphere was of an industry eager to end infighting and recapture the fun of making ads, a spirit reflected in the number of humorous commercials on show.
Alain Godefroid, one of last year’s judges, says: “After last year, this Cannes seemed more like a comedy festival than an advertising festival.”
But if Cannes 1996 was a celebration of good rather than controversial advertising, the impact of humorous commercials on the international jury panel does have implications for the way in which we think about multi-country creative executions.
The received wisdom of our industry, particularly in the UK, is that humour does not travel. Cannes proved that these days the reverse may be true.
Many of my colleagues who attended Cannes believe that the reason for this focus on comedy is founded in the continued pressure on budgets. Agencies have been forced to replace big productions with big ideas, and in so doing they have proved that if a comic idea is good enough, it has the power to cross borders.
They also argue that in recent years comedy has become increasingly international as the television market has expanded, and cross-border programme sales have developed. Those who still believe that continental Europeans are unable to enjoy British humour may be surprised that much classic British comedy is as popular in Europe as it is in its home market. The secret of its success lies primarily in the quality of the ideas and writing.
Cannes 96 may not have been controversial in the sense that last year’s event was. But in demonstrating that comedy ideas can and do cross national barriers it has undermined one of the oldest myths of international advertising.
