{"id":131432,"date":"2025-03-13T20:22:01","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T20:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/business\/marketing\/whats-so-not-funny-about-advertising\/"},"modified":"2025-03-13T20:22:01","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T20:22:01","slug":"whats-so-not-funny-about-advertising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=131432","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s So Not Funny About Advertising?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-bglz=\"1\" itemprop=\"text\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/emilyamcgregor\/\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">Emily McGregor<\/a> is the founder and CEO of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/penguincat-creative\/\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">PenguinCat Creative<\/a>. She also has over 20 years of experience in video sketch comedy, marketing across diverse industries, and leading creative teams.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Her work has helped bestselling authors, top influencers, eCommerce brands, and industry-leading coaches achieve results like sold-out events, tripled memberships, and doubled open rates.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a past role as VP of Production at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/comediva-llc\/\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">Comediva<\/a>, a comedic content studio, she wrote and directed viral videos (with millions of views), branded content for major brands like Pepsi, and even sold a TV show to Amazon.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u200b\u200bIn a world where we all appreciate a laugh, a titter, a guffaw, a chuckle, a chortle, a giggle, a cackle, a howl or a snigger, Emily shares the power of humour in advertising and marketing and why marketers and agencies need to take the risk.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>You can listen to the podcast here:<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><iframe data-bglz=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.trinityp3.com\/podcasts\/whats-so-not-funny-about-advertising\/about:blank\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" data-rocket-lazyload=\"fitvidscompatible\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/2041576885&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true\"><\/iframe><noscript><iframe loading=\"lazy\" data-bglz=\"1\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/2041576885&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/noscript><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Follow Managing Marketing on\u00a0<a class=\"external\" href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/managing-marketing\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Soundcloud<\/a>,\u00a0<a class=\"external\" href=\"https:\/\/managingmarketing.podbean.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Podbean,<\/a>\u00a0<a class=\"external\" href=\"https:\/\/tunein.com\/podcasts\/Business--Economics-Podcasts\/Managing-Marketing-p1275737\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">TuneIn<\/a>,\u00a0<a class=\"external\" href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/75mJ4Gt6MWzFWvmd3A64XW\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Stitcher,<\/a>\u00a0<a class=\"external\" href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/75mJ4Gt6MWzFWvmd3A64XW\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Spotify,<\/a>\u00a0<a class=\"external\" href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/au\/podcast\/managing-marketing\/id1018735190\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Apple Podcast<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a class=\"external\" href=\"https:\/\/music.amazon.com\/podcasts\/5e7b205c-81c9-44e0-aa1d-d2ce504c6048%E2%80%8B\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Amazon Podcasts.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3\/>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cI think we\u2019re found out why few marketers are happy to go down the comedy route\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: right;\">\u201cProbably. Yes. There are a lot of traps\u201d.<\/h3>\n<h3\/>\n<h3>Transcription:<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Hi, I\u2019m Darren Woolley, founder and CEO of TrinityP3 Marketing Management consultancy and welcome to Managing Marketing, a weekly podcast where we discuss the issues and opportunities facing marketing, media and advertising with industry thought leaders and practitioners.<\/p>\n<p>If you enjoy the Managing Marketing Podcast, please either review or like or share this episode to help spread the words and wisdom of our guests each week.<\/p>\n<p>Now, don\u2019t we all appreciate a laugh, a titter, a guffaw, a chuckle, a chortle, a giggle, a cackle, or a howl, or a snigger? And yet when was the last time you laughed in an advertisement?<\/p>\n<p>My guest today has over 20 years of experience in video sketch comedy, marketing across diverse industries and leading creative teams. Her work has helped bestselling authors, top influencers, e-commerce brands, and industry leading coaches achieve results, like sold out events, tripling membership, and doubled open rates.<\/p>\n<p>In a past role as VP of production at Comediva, a comedic content studio, she wrote and directed viral videos with millions of views, branded content for major brands like Pepsi, and even sold a TV show to Amazon.<\/p>\n<p>Please, welcome to the Managing Marketing Podcast, the founder and CEO of PenguinCat Creative, Emily McGregor. Welcome, Emily.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Hello. Thank you for having me. This is great.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Look, and thank you for taking the time to have this chat, because there was a time that advertising was a great source of comedy. You look forward to the ads because they made you laugh, and it was a bit of an uplifting emotional experience in between the content that it was supporting. But these days you don\u2019t see as many ads using humor.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. You really don\u2019t. It\u2019s strange. Even to prepare for this podcast, looking back, I was like, \u201cOh, what were some of my favorite ads in the past few years?\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, my favorite ones are now over 10-yearsold.\u201d Every single one is over 10-years-old.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>And look, there\u2019s a lot of discussion in the entertainment industry and particularly amongst comedians about the fact that comedies actually had to significantly transform itself, because there was a time when most comedy was based on either being self-deprecating or deprecating to other people.<\/p>\n<p>And in a world of political correctness and some may say wokeness, that became frowned upon, didn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. And there\u2019s been a lot of conversations too, just around \u2026 I think Jason Segel gave some interview recently around how there aren\u2019t any like R-rated comedies anymore, and how that industry is basically dead right now. I mean, there\u2019s a few here and there.<\/p>\n<p>But, in general, I think also comedy is risky, that\u2019s what makes it fun, that\u2019s why it\u2019s such a delight. But in this day and age, I think with a lot of marketing and in the film industry, there\u2019s just this fear of taking any kind of risk.<\/p>\n<p>They want to do everything based on old IP. They want to do everything based on things that sold overseas and then coming and adapting them here. They want to do things based on books, comic books. Having that new innovation and taking those risks is really kind of frowned upon right now and that, I find very unfortunate.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>And yet comedy actually requires to be constantly pushing the boundaries and coming up with new perspectives, doesn\u2019t it? In many ways comedy works by confronting us with things that we hadn\u2019t really considered and surprising and delighting us or shocking us.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Right. And it\u2019s supposed to make you think or make you feel. And if you are a little repulsed or a little pissed off, it\u2019s kind of a good thing, that should be a good thing. Maybe not marketing with brands, but definitely I think in film, if we\u2019re not doing that, culture\u2019s just going to keep kind of regurgitating itself and not pushing forward and discovering new things if we\u2019re just coming back to some of the old ideas over and over again.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. What got you interested in comedy? Were you one of those kids that were just the natural joker at the back of the class or was it something more?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>No, I wasn\u2019t. I\u2019m not a performer. I\u2019m not a standup. I\u2019m behind the camera, I\u2019m not in front of the camera. And I was never that class clown kind of person either, but I think I was given a lot of encouragement as a kid because I was naturally kind of funny and observant. And so, I would make funny jokes around adults, and then I would get compliments for that.<\/p>\n<p>So, that\u2019s just encouraged, just like, \u201cOh, this is the cool way I survive as a kid, is making jokes.\u201d But yeah, I actually didn\u2019t fall into comedy until I started working for the comedy company.<\/p>\n<p>So, I didn\u2019t even consider myself funny. I think a lot of women weren\u2019t really encouraged to kind of go that direction until honestly, pretty recently. So, it\u2019s something that I sort of tripped and fell into, honestly, it wasn\u2019t really as deliberate or a constant lifelong pursuit necessarily.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>So, it wasn\u2019t your long-term objective when the careers counselor was saying, \u201cWhat do you see for yourself?\u201d You weren\u2019t saying, \u201cI\u2019m going to be a comedy writer, producer, and director.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>No, I liked dystopian novels. I was that kid. I wanted anything with an atomic bomb in it. That\u2019s what I was into. But you can make that funny.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>And yet here you\u2019re.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>I know right? Now I\u2019m like fart jokes, also cool.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Now, it\u2019s interesting what you said about women were never encouraged. There was always a double standard in society, but particularly when it came to comedy. Because some of the earliest women comedians or comediennes. I think that\u2019s so weird. But-<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah, I don\u2019t think anyone uses that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>But they actually suffered quite a lot for being funny, didn\u2019t they?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>As early as Lucille Ball and those very early days in the late 50s, 60s, it was Joan Rivers. A lot of women even though they were incredibly successful on one level, didn\u2019t really have a great time, did they?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>No. And, I mean, I grew up watching reruns of Carol Burnett. And it was such a \u2026 and even we started Comediva, the woman who founded it, Erika. She\u2019s founded it because she was going around and trying to pitch comedies in Hollywood. And this was 2010, it\u2019s not that long ago. And was getting told over and over again, \u201cOh, women aren\u2019t funny.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s shifted since then. I think that feels so old, even though it\u2019s like 13 years, 14, now 15 years ago. That feels so outdated but that wasn\u2019t that long ago that we were getting that kind of response. And there was some debate on if women could be funny or not.<\/p>\n<p>But I think a lot of it does come down to comedy is power. If you walk into a room and you\u2019re the first person to crack a joke, you kind of control that room. And there\u2019s a lot of power in who is funny and who can say funny things and who feels confident enough to do that.<\/p>\n<p>So, I think that that is part of why in entertainment comedy was so late in sort of getting any kind of marginalized voice amplified.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>What do you think it is about the risk? And that seems obvious, but that stops brands and businesses embracing it when it\u2019s such a powerful technique for one, getting attention, but two, to really build rapport and a connection engagement with an audience.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. I mean, I don\u2019t know. I guess they\u2019re just not being brave enough. I mean, I feel like you have to \u2026 the thing that boggles my mind on why people don\u2019t use it is there isn\u2019t a big difference in using comedy and doing any other kind of thing in marketing. It\u2019s a similar process, but you do have to know your audience, and you have to know your goals, and you have to know things so much more.<\/p>\n<p>I think you have to take it to such a deeper level to be able to create that relatability through, through comedy, through humor, however you want to frame it. And there\u2019s a bigger risk if you don\u2019t know that, then the joke might flop.<\/p>\n<p>And I think there is more risk there, but there\u2019s just so much more research and so much more knowing of that audience to be able to do comedy effectively. And I think there are fewer people that feel confident in a comedic voice. So, a lot of marketing companies might not have somebody in their team that can feel confident in that voice too.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Well, I think one of the things is that people believe comedy\u2019s so subjective, and they don\u2019t want to alienate anyone, so they try and make something that everyone will enjoy. And it\u2019s quite difficult, isn\u2019t it? To come up with some comedy that everyone loves. Because in many ways, it\u2019s naturally, by its nature going to be polarizing to some extent.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>But then, in marketing, you are supposed to be specific and go after a very specific niche. So, this idea of, yeah, you can\u2019t really make comedy, that is for everyone unless it\u2019s very broad and then it\u2019s probably not that funny. The specificity is what makes comedy so effective.<\/p>\n<p>I think it\u2019s more challenging, especially if you are a global brand as well, creating comedy that can work in every different culture is pretty impossible. It\u2019s why also in film and TV; you can sell horror films for foreign distribution very easily.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone\u2019s afraid of spiders, that\u2019s just cool. But similar jokes aren\u2019t necessarily going to land in different cultures or not. There\u2019s always a fear of selling comedy overseas, and it\u2019s harder to get funding. So, it applies to marketing as well, I think.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. I remember years ago English comedian Ben Elton, who wrote <em>Blackadder<\/em> and quite famous written a lot of very entertaining and funny books. In the early days when he was doing standup, he arrived in Australia and 24 hours later, was doing his whole set in front of a live audience that I happened to be at.<\/p>\n<p>And he had managed to customize it enough to local conditions, local nuances. And I saw an interview with him, and he said, every time he arrives in a new country, he spends the first 24 hours watching television.<\/p>\n<p>Now, this was back in the 1980s. So, when television dominated, but he said, \u201c24 hours of watching television in any country, and you get a very good idea of how much of the culture is relatable to your own personal experience.\u201d And I thought that was really interesting.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s cool. That\u2019s awesome.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. To be able to stand up. I think there was 500 people in the room, and he just had the whole room rocking with largely what could have been considered very English humor. Now, Australia and England have some connections as the U.S. and Australia do, but he managed to bring enough local references in, that the audience were really on side very quickly.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Well, and also the adaptability of what is funny to an Australian audience, and also what is funny, coming from a British comedian to an Australian audience is different nuance as well.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>And the U.S. market is not really homogeneous, is it? Because you\u2019ve got very different sensibilities. The Midwest Bible Belt versus the New York, cool in the LA, well, it\u2019s not so cool in LA at the moment, but-<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>No. Unfortunately not.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>But yeah, it is quite nuanced, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. No, and you really have to know \u2026 I mean, say you\u2019re advertising to moms, okay, is it a mom that\u2019s going to take a joke? Like, \u201cOh, isn\u2019t it funny that your toddler screams because they got exactly what they wanted?\u201d And isn\u2019t that so funny? Or it\u2019s like, \u201cOh, it\u2019s so funny, I think my kid\u2019s such an asshole.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Those are different kinds of moms who want different kinds of jokes and will be offended maybe at the other joke or think the other joke\u2019s not effective. But if you\u2019re going after a very specific audience, you\u2019re going to have that audience in the palm of your hand if you nail that joke.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>And you mentioned Emily, that you were very much an observational style comedy writer. But it\u2019s interesting because one of the other things is that people are inclined to think observation means stereotype.<\/p>\n<p>For years and years comedy in advertising and even in television and film, stereotype women as being sort of at home caregivers, homemakers and really not that worldly. And now we\u2019ve got a sort of reverse where a lot of the times the men were made out to be sort of stupid and not very sensitive or emotionally aware.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a weak sort of comedy, isn\u2019t it? That has to rely on a stereotype rather than getting a real observation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. And I mean, I do think we\u2019ve moved away from that in a lot of senses, thankfully. I mean, you do obviously still see it around, but I feel like comedy has pushed away from that in a lot of ways, which is wonderful and appreciated.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Look, I think comedy has. I think the times some \u2026 when we see humor in advertising, and maybe it\u2019s the format of a minute or 30 seconds. It becomes a lazy approach to use the stereotype as a quick way of setting up the character that you\u2019re making the joke about.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Right. Yeah.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>The reason I raise that is because one of the big issues is that use of stereotypes still pervades advertising, even though there\u2019s a big move to sort of stop it. And I see it purely as shorthand. What do you think are the ways that writers particularly can overcome that?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah, I mean, I\u2019m trying to think on ways that we\u2019ve worked to overcome that. I mean, there\u2019s always that initial set of ideas, and I think you just have to try hard. It\u2019s like figuring out exactly where is the comedy coming from? Is it coming from, oh, this character is fat. Alright, well then, you\u2019re going to need to rethink that joke. That joke is probably going to come out rude and lame and stereotypical.<\/p>\n<p>Is the comedy engine coming from something more innate? And then you can push that a little further. But if it\u2019s coming from that stereotype, then you probably are just having a bad idea to begin with.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. Because it\u2019s not just gender. I use gender as an example, but even worse would be racial stereotypes where you\u2019re playing on a perception of people that you then make fun of.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. There\u2019s so many different kinds of stereotypes. You got ableism, you got sexism, you got racism, you got them all. And I think it\u2019s easy to fall in the trap of making the joke about the ism rather than something else, or the experience of that person. Or something a little more, again, specific about your audience and what problem you\u2019re solving in the world.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Unless of course, you turn it on its head and actually break the stereotype by making the humor the fact that the stereotype doesn\u2019t hold up.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Right. And then there\u2019s risk in that sometimes of sort of accidentally reinforcing the stereotype too, I think.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>True, true. Very true.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a weird snake eating its tail kind of thing there.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>And I think we\u2019re found out why few marketers are happy to go down the comedy route.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Probably. Yes. There are a lot of traps.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>The other thing is the difference, in comedy, a lot of people think it\u2019s the joke. That it\u2019s story, story, story, punchline, is the only sort of approach to comedy, but that\u2019s not true, is it?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>No. I think that is partially what kind of keeps people away from it sometimes. I feel like humor is a more broad kind of spectrum of what comedy can be. It\u2019s more humor, and that isn\u2019t necessarily jokes. Jokes can be part of a humorous campaign, but you don\u2019t need to have jokes in a humorous campaign, if that makes sense.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s more like creating a fun, relatable, playful ecosystem or atmosphere for your brand, rather than oh, we\u2019re going to have all these jokes. It\u2019s going to be ha, ha, ha, laugh out loud funny and it\u2019s going to be like SNL. It can also just be a vibe. A fun playful vibe can be humor as well.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. A wry smile or a little titter.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Right. That\u2019s still going to get your dopamine up and make you fall in love with the brand. I think humor and advertising, it\u2019s more about humanizing the brand, it\u2019s not so much. Necessarily making people laugh. I got to make them laugh. It\u2019s not successful unless they\u2019re laughing. It\u2019s successful if they\u2019re relating, if they\u2019re feeling seen, if they\u2019re engaging. And if they\u2019re remembering you, I think.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>I remember very early on in my writing career, a creative director called Ted Horton, did a video where he got a TV show and each of the ad breaks, he would appear and tell the same joke with a punchline.<\/p>\n<p>And the first time he told it was quite funny, and the second time it wasn\u2019t as funny, and the third time. And his point was that if you\u2019re going to use comedy in advertising, don\u2019t make it about the punchline.<\/p>\n<p>That the human needs to start at the opening and go all the way, set it up very quickly and have it go all the way through. Because if you\u2019re relying on just the one payoff, advertising by its nature is going to be seen over and over again.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Right. And it\u2019s more of creating that environment of humor and types of jokes and your brand and your tone of humor and keeping that consistent and having fun in that sandbox rather than, \u201cOh, we have this one joke.\u201d And isn\u2019t it funny, our brand\u2019s like, \u201cThis one joke?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. But burns out very quickly, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. Exactly. Unless you\u2019re ideating on \u2026 I mean, like you see in progressive ads, they use technically the same joke over and over again. But it\u2019s fun to see or what new way are they presenting it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Well, from Australia, we have a campaign that\u2019s now gone globally, for Uber Eats. And the humor there is about getting celebrities and putting them in relatable, but different situations. And that\u2019s where the humor comes from, is seeing them being different. There was one recently with Jason Alexander.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Oh, fun.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t know if you\u2019ve seen it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>I haven\u2019t seen it. I\u2019ll have to check that out. Yeah.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. really, really, really funny because he orders from Uber Eats, canned laughter, and then it stays with him. So, every time he says anything, there\u2019s this laughter. And of course, people think that he\u2019s having a joke at their expense.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Right. That\u2019s fun. That\u2019s great. I love that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>So, yeah, that type of humor works really well because I think I\u2019ve seen that ad more than 20 times, and every time-<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s still funny.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s still funny. There\u2019s no punchline. The whole thing is the joke.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. The concept. Yeah. Exactly.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Are there any campaigns like that, that you\u2019ve liked or enjoyed, wished you\u2019d written?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah, I\u2019m trying to think if there\u2019s any \u2026 there\u2019s not any right now that I\u2019m \u2014 I mean, I sort of like the you\u2019re not your parents one is fun and relatable. It\u2019s not like, \u201cOh, this is the most brilliant thing in the world. I can\u2019t believe it.\u201d But I find it effective, I guess. And I\u2019m supposed to sit with some friends that acted in the campaigns, so I think I\u2019m a little more endeared to it too.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Can you remember the brand?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s Progressive. I do know that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Progressive Insurance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>It is Progressive. That is a very progressive one. I know that\u2019s the other risk, I guess, for humor, is having the joke outshine what you\u2019re selling. And so, people go, \u201cOh, I saw that really funny commercial with the cat in the tree or whatever.\u201d I don\u2019t remember what it was for.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Where the punchline becomes the memorable thing, except it has nothing to do with the-<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Do with the brand. Or like you said, \u201cOh, which insurance company? Is it Allstate, is it Progressive? Is it GEICO?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>So, it is really powerful, isn\u2019t it? When a category like insurance, which can be incredibly boring and take itself very seriously, suddenly is willing to use humor. And a humor is a way of demonstrating the benefit of the product.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s kind of interesting that with that industry, it is such a dry and kind of awful. People don\u2019t have good feelings when they think about insurance by any means. But all of them do comedic ads pretty-<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s true.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>I think all of them do. At least in the U.S., I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. That\u2019s in the U.S. right.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Is that in the U.S.? Okay.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a couple in Australia that do that, and some in the UK, but a lot of them take themselves very seriously.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Really? Okay.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>And I think because they\u2019re trying to elicit trust. And they think somehow that humor can undermine trust, but in actual fact, the-<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Think of the opposite. It\u2019s true. Yeah.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>The point you made earlier is that it actually builds engagement. People feel positive about a brand that\u2019s happy to make them laugh or make them feel good.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Well, and I think if you can tell a joke about somebody\u2019s pain point or whatever, you\u2019re showing such a deeper understanding of where they\u2019re coming from. You\u2019re showing you so deeply understand that issue instead of just telling them that you understand what they\u2019re going through. I think it\u2019s the ultimate no like trust as they say.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. There\u2019s an insurance company in Australia, AAMI and they always dramatize the disaster to the extreme, and the humor\u2019s in the dramatization. No matter how ridiculous the disaster is, they\u2019re there to help you is basically the bottom line and quite a powerful positioning to own.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>See, that\u2019s fun. And you\u2019re remembering it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Any other categories that come to mind? Any other ads that-<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Ads, I mean, one of my favorite-<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>You said 10 years ago.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>I know, will do 10 years ago.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Come on, let\u2019s do 10 years ago.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s do 10 years ago. I think one of my favorite that sticks with me is actually a UK ad. It\u2019s the cats with thumbs. It\u2019s for a milk brand, which I do forget the milk brand because it\u2019s not a U.S. Milk brand, but it started with a C, I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s basically showing a man eating milk and his cat\u2019s there. And it\u2019s basically proposing what if cats suddenly grew thumbs and then they would take over the world and take all this milk. And it\u2019s just so memorable. And I think about it when I look at my cat and it\u2019s such an old ad.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>But look, it\u2019s not offensive in any way. Lots of people love cats or they don\u2019t love cats.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Either way.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>I think most people love cats because it\u2019s the highest rating thing on YouTube, is it? Put a good cat video up and you\u2019re guaranteed you\u2019re done to get virality.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Exactly. Yeah. People love cats. And even if you hate cats, you definitely don\u2019t want them to have thumbs. And I love cats, and I definitely don\u2019t want them to have thumbs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. They\u2019d start opening doors.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Exactly. But I think it was funny because they did really milk the concept of cats having thumbs and then coming after your milk and I just have such a delight for that ad.<\/p>\n<p>The other one that I deeply wish I was involved in, it was the Old Spice ads get played with the guy, this is your man. I loved that, that whole series was so \u2026 it feels very of its time now I think, but I loved that one a lot.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>And the great thing about it was that there was always that surprise every sort of five seconds. There was another surprise as you transitioned from one thing to the next. Kept you engaged.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Kept you engaged, and it was really playing \u2026 it worked well in that time too. It was a time I was working more in YouTube space and what videos were going viral at that time. And it was that surprising random weird off the ball humor that was really popular at the time worked really well.<\/p>\n<p>I feel like it played within that without feeling it was just copying stuff from the internet. Like took it to a whole new level. Just like a dude on a horse. Great. Who doesn\u2019t love that?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>And a good-looking dude too-<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Well, yeah. Key. Pictorials, pictorials will sell your brand. There we go.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>And a six pack.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>And a six pack. Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Well, particularly the target audience is women, even though it\u2019s a cologne for men, Old Spice, they worked out that the main audience was women buying it for their man. So, I mean, perfectly targeted, funny and had a very positive result.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. I love it. Hey, I use Old Spice, not because of those ads.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>We have a long running campaign in Australia for Australian lamb, and it\u2019s always runs in the summer has built a terrific body of work and it\u2019d be worthwhile to having a look at it. But what they do is each year they pick a particular issue, like the gender gap between boomers and Z. Or this year it\u2019s about the comment sections on social media.<\/p>\n<p>So, they\u2019ll pick a major social issue, and then dramatize it. Because the bottom line is that barbecued lamb is the one thing that brings all Australians together in agreement.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Oh, that\u2019s great.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s become more and more relevant.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. I was going to say they need-<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Because as the world\u2019s become increasingly divided, it\u2019s actually bringing everyone together. So, the proposition is, but the great thing is it\u2019s done with humor. And I think that\u2019s a really important thing, is the ability of comedy to actually allow you to leverage something that could be quite divisive in itself.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Well, what you just said made me think of the Pepsi ad from I think 2020 to edit that play over there. The one with like Kylie Jenner and trying to give the Pepsi to the cops. And so, you didn\u2019t use comedy, you tried to make it schmutzy and it flopped so hard. That was in such bad taste at the time. I don\u2019t know if you guys saw that one?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. Absolutely. And also, the aftermath of it, of the blame game of everyone pointing the finger at everyone else that was involved in it.<\/p>\n<p>Look, that\u2019s the big risk, when it flops like that, it flops big time. And so, I can see why people are inclined marketers, brands are inclined to want to avoid it, but you have to balance that with the power of it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>And again, the lamb campaign works because it\u2019s funny and you\u2019re bringing \u2014 and it\u2019s funny because it\u2019s lamb. Okay, we\u2019re not actually saying Lamb is going to bring all these sides together. We know we\u2019re not actually saying that. Pepsi was like, \u201cAre you actually trying to say this? Because it feels like you\u2019re actually trying to say this.\u201d I think that\u2019s a pretty big difference too.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>That being very earnest work.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. Yeah. It\u2019s like-<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>We can solve the world with our bubbly, sugary flavored drink.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Drink, yeah. Do you believe it? Because it feels like you might. I don\u2019t think lamb believes it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>I just want to go back to something you mentioned earlier. And that is when you\u2019re observing and seeing something that was funny as a child that you\u2019d play back to adults. What are the types of things you\u2019re thinking about? What are you looking for when you see something?<\/p>\n<p>Some of my favorite comedians are observational. And what I love about it is that there\u2019s always a fresh perspective on the things that you\u2019ve seen over and over again, but never really brought that perspective to in your mind. So, when you see it or hear it, you go, \u201cOh my God, that\u2019s so funny. It\u2019s so true, but it\u2019s funny.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. I guess it\u2019s just trying to look at the situation and finding that in hate absurdity in it and highlighting that \u2026 I can\u2019t think of a good example right off the top of my head, of course.<\/p>\n<p>But I think it\u2019s like everything, every pain, every human experience. I think there\u2019s just so much absurdity in most of our day-to-day. It\u2019s very funny how angry we get at very little things. That\u2019s always just very funny to me. Or very funny how obsessive people get about things.<\/p>\n<p>And I think people like to laugh at themselves about that and are comfortable with that. It makes them feel almost better about getting caught up in the silly day-to-day.<\/p>\n<p>And so, finding where that absurdity is, and then how can you highlight that or make it bigger or connect it to another thing and bring two things together that don\u2019t belong? It\u2019s usually I think the approach I take. It\u2019s also very instinctual. It\u2019s hard to describe.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>No, that is true. It\u2019s something that you either see or you don\u2019t see. And the power is in articulating the absurdity for people that haven\u2019t seen it. They\u2019ve seen the situation, but not actually seeing the absurdity. And by raising it, they go, \u201cOh my God.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>That is very silly.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a fundamental truth in it which makes it believable. But then you\u2019re laughing at it because you know it\u2019s true, but it\u2019s also absurd and you\u2019ve not realized that before. But it\u2019s such a great opportunity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. You\u2019re getting called out in a way, and I guess the risk there too is not being flippant about somebody\u2019s experience in a way. If it\u2019s a more of a serious thing that you\u2019re laughing about, try to balance that.<\/p>\n<p>Making it funny and absurd but also making sure you\u2019re not talking down or belittling, what are you making fun of in that moment too, and being careful with that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Well, possibly, two of the kings of observational and absurdity are Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David. First of all, with <em>Seinfeld<\/em> and then with <em>Curb Your Enthusiasm<\/em>. That ability to take just everyday life and bring the absurdity to the surface made them incredibly successful.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. Still funny to today. Like Seinfeld, some of that stuff doesn\u2019t hold up, but a lot of it does, it\u2019s so relatable.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>But there\u2019s an opportunity there for brands that are willing to have a laugh at their own expense, because Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm are incredibly self-deprecating. The butt of the joke is the characters in the story, aren\u2019t they?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Right. They\u2019re really not punching up or down. They\u2019re punching horizontally, inwardly.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Beating themselves up.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Right. And yeah. I think brands, by not taking yourself so seriously, have a great opportunity to, you don\u2019t have to like punch inward necessarily, but I think there\u2019s a lot of concern right now, going back to a thing we were talking about earlier about like are we punching up, are we punching down?<\/p>\n<p>And comedy, especially in marketing, it doesn\u2019t need to be about like punching necessarily either. So, I think it\u2019s also kind of a myopic way of thinking about comedy. And I think that is where a lot of the fear comes from, oh, who are we offending?<\/p>\n<p>Well, if you\u2019re not punching with your comedy and then there\u2019s a time to punch with your comedy. I love something that goes hard, but if you\u2019re doing a brand voice.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah, absolutely. And the point of not taking yourself seriously or too seriously, I think in this day and age, and in these political circumstances is probably incredibly powerful because there was this issue around everyone needed a purpose.<\/p>\n<p>All the brands had their purpose and many of those were incredibly serious and meaningful and a bit like Pepsi, trying to be meaningful and relevant. But there\u2019s also a role for just being and being human and being flawed and acknowledging that human experience.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. And I think also just knowing where you stand, I think there was a lot of pushback too against some of those really earnest values. Alright, calm down Oreos. You\u2019re not a gay icon. Let\u2019s calm down a little bit.<\/p>\n<p>You weren\u2019t at Stonewall. Let\u2019s be real here. Where it\u2019s like if you could be a little less serious about these things, it\u2019s a brand, it\u2019s okay, we can have fun. You\u2019re not going to save the world, and that\u2019s okay.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Well, even in that, I\u2019ve seen brands come undone because they\u2019re full on for pride week or Pride month. And when you said a gay icon, it made me think, they\u2019re all for supporting the LGBTQ, I\u2019ve lost the acronym, but supporting that community, but only for a week.<\/p>\n<p>And so many friends of mine in that community go, \u201cHey, this is my life 365 days, not just for that week or that month.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>It comes off so disingenuous and you\u2019re using that community to further your message rather than actually doing anything meaningful to actually support.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also interesting the whole role of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Because it\u2019s the opposite of stereotype. It\u2019s actually including people in the joke in a way.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s also incredibly powerful because representation is also important. People seeing themselves in the, the story is really important, but particularly in comedy, isn\u2019t it? And we\u2019re seeing this rise of multiple races, multiple ages in comedy, etching out quite successful careers.<\/p>\n<p>And I can\u2019t remember a name, but an Indian woman from the UK who\u2019s got a huge following, Ali Wong in the U.S., that so many different people. Trevor Noah. It doesn\u2019t have to be the same sort of almost stereo male, pale, and stale.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah, exactly. And again, diversity is so important. You\u2019re seeing more people represented, and it also brings more specificity, which brings more comedy. And I hope brands embrace that more.<\/p>\n<p>Specificity isn\u2019t exclusive. I think they\u2019re worried like, \u201cOh, it\u2019s going to exclude this other audience if I show this person on the TV.\u201d Well, no, it\u2019s actually inclusive, people are kind of drawn to that specificity even if it\u2019s not them they\u2019re seeing necessarily on the screen.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Well, all those examples that I used, one of the things that they all have in common is that their comedy comes from their existence, their experience of life. Growing up, their culture, their gender or whatever is the source of that material. And it\u2019s delivered in a way that\u2019s incredibly inclusive. In that people can relate to that human experience.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. Or I think we\u2019ll naturally find a way to relate. We\u2019re relation pattern seeking beings. So, if somebody\u2019s explaining their background and it was so on paper so different than yours, you\u2019re going to find ways to relate to that and see yourself even in their story. And I think that\u2019s a beautiful part of being human.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Well, it\u2019s finding the commonality. I think no matter what people say about Germany, I think we all have a sense of humor. It is just slightly different. So, there you go, I\u2019ve just done a stereotype for you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>There you go. Yeah, nice German stereotype.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>The audience is going to be agencies and marketers. Do you have any advice, or can you point people in the right direction of where they should start, if they\u2019re thinking about using comedy or they\u2019ve been proposed a solution that has comedy in it. Rather than focusing straight on all the risks, what\u2019s the best way of assessing a piece of comedy or humor?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s an interesting question. I mean, do you mean if they\u2019re like, \u201cOh, I want to make this campaign humorous, or they\u2019ve been tasked with doing that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. I mean, kind of like the comedian you were just talking about, watching a lot of comedic ads and seeing what other people have done and seeing that potential might help kind of get over that fear of that risk. Just seeing that, oh, what this could be.<\/p>\n<p>And I mean, one thing I think about in terms of figuring out what would be funny to a specific audience is playing Cards Against Humanity against that ideal buyer. Think about you\u2019re playing Cards Against Humanity and honestly, maybe get out those cards. I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s an HR problem, but I get out those cards and think about playing it, can you pick what they would pick as being the funniest option?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>And if you don\u2019t, you probably need to do some more research on that audience and what they will find funny. But it\u2019s a silly way to get out of your head a little bit and start kind of thinking about that audience and what would make them laugh and why.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Emily, that\u2019s such a great insight because it goes directly to the better you understand your audience, the more relevant the communication. But also understanding what they need from it and how to deliver that is so important. I think that\u2019s a great insight.<\/p>\n<p>Cards Against Humanity. I\u2019m seeing a corporate boardroom with all these people, marketers and agencies sitting around playing it, pretending to be the target audience.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>The target audience. Again, maybe ask HR. I don\u2019t know, I\u2019ve never worked corporate. There\u2019s also like being so grounded in the goal of the campaign and the audience and what you want out of the joke and what you want the joke saying and the comedic engine for the joke. You do have to be .. or joke, humor.<\/p>\n<p>You do have to be so clear on that because I think it is easy with comedy to get really lost in the sauce too. You can get, oh, you\u2019re pitching ideas and you\u2019re thinking of jokes and like, oh, that\u2019s really funny. That\u2019s really funny.<\/p>\n<p>It could be funny, but it might not be accomplishing your goals, and I think it\u2019s easy to get kind of lost and wrapped up in it if you don\u2019t have your foundation set. Just the same with anything in marketing, but comedy, I think it\u2019s easy to get excited about something that\u2019s funny.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. And I think the best comedians actually do that. Yes, they go for the joke, but all of the best standup I\u2019ve ever seen actually has an overarching message or story that they want to tell that is incredibly powerful that the audience walk away not just with that sense of, I\u2019ve had a good time, but also, they take something with them.<\/p>\n<p>And in the same way you need to make sure that the takeout to your point is on message. What is it that they feel? And hopefully remember the brand.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yes. That as well, not just the industry and not just the humor. And there\u2019s a thing about comedy too that I think is mystifying to people where they\u2019re like, oh yeah standup comedian, he just goes up on stage, he or she goes up on stage and just tells jokes and they naturally funny.<\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s like no, no, no, no, no. They have rehearsed that they have done that in front of hundreds, especially if it\u2019s an hour long special on Netflix. They have rehearsed the shit out of that for probably two years and have done that in front of hundreds of audiences before you\u2019re seeing this, off the cuff, very natural delivery of a joke.<\/p>\n<p>So, I think people think, oh, well you\u2019re just, either you can do comedy or you can\u2019t do comedy because it just comes so naturally. It\u2019s like no, it\u2019s just as much work if not more. There\u2019s a craft there and there\u2019s a process.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>And particularly for standup. Almost all great comedy writers or performers have done the work of standing up in front of live audiences and literally, no, not literally. Figuratively dying.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Figuratively died. Yeah.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>I literally died.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Literally died. That\u2019s why every comedy movie has like 20 uncredited comedians doing punch ups in the room.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Yeah. Absolutely.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>It takes a lot of ideations.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Look, thank you so much for taking the time. The time has got away from us. I want to thank you Emily McGregor from PenguinCat Creative for sharing with us your thoughts and ideas on using comedy in advertising and marketing. Thank you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Thank you so much for having me. This was fun.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Darren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Just before we go, one question and that is who would you say is the best comedian going around at the moment?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Emily McGregor is the founder and CEO of PenguinCat Creative. She also has over 20 years of experience in video sketch comedy, marketing across diverse industries, and leading creative teams.\u00a0 Her work has helped bestselling authors, top influencers, eCommerce brands, and industry-leading coaches achieve results like sold-out events, tripled memberships, and doubled open rates. 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