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If Every Brand Is Funny Online, Is Anything Funny?

nytimes.com

21–30 of 31 posts

Re: If Every Brand Is Funny Online, Is Anything Funny?

#21
post #8
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't work in marketing. My exposure to ads/commercials is generally only during live sports. The Superbowl used to be not only the ultimate NFL event but also the "super bowl" of commercials. They used to make you laugh. We used to actually want to watch them. The last 5-ish years of Superbowls have completely flipped that. Now we mute during commercials because they are all so sterile and unfunny or faking sincer…

WASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSUPPPP???? WASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSUUUUUUUUUUUUUPPP??? Oh yeah commercials used to be so good...

The ironic thing about that one is I can't recall what the ad was for

Re: If Every Brand Is Funny Online, Is Anything Funny?

#22

If all comedians are funny, is anything funny? Please. The problem is clearly that they're all only trying to be funny and most of them are not very good at it.

Right. Low-effort corporate snark wasn't funny to begin with. Write better jokes.

Re: If Every Brand Is Funny Online, Is Anything Funny?

#23
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

WASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSUPPPP???? WASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSUUUUUUUUUUUUUPPP??? Oh yeah commercials used to be so good...

If you're still talking about it 24 years later, it did what it was supposed to. > Heinerscheid, who became a vice president at the company in July 2022, stated that her goal was to evolve the Bud Light advertising to make it more inclusive, and to move it away from its "fratty and out-of-touch humor". ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Bud_Light_boycott ) "Fratty and out-of-touch humor" stuck the landing well enou…

> If you're still talking about it 24 years later, it did what it was supposed to.

Grandparent comment:

> Now, watching NFL, the commercials are actively grating, annoying, and the complete opposite of entertaining.

These are not mutually exclusive. Perhaps toeing that line is a key to good marketing?

Re: If Every Brand Is Funny Online, Is Anything Funny?

#24
post #8
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't work in marketing. My exposure to ads/commercials is generally only during live sports. The Superbowl used to be not only the ultimate NFL event but also the "super bowl" of commercials. They used to make you laugh. We used to actually want to watch them. The last 5-ish years of Superbowls have completely flipped that. Now we mute during commercials because they are all so sterile and unfunny or faking sincer…

WASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSUPPPP???? WASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSUUUUUUUUUUUUUPPP??? Oh yeah commercials used to be so good...

I know your being sarcastic, but the first time that ad aired, everyone loved it.

Yes it got played out just like the Bud Wise Er frogs, or the Real Men Of Genius, but the first couple were hilarious.

Re: If Every Brand Is Funny Online, Is Anything Funny?

#25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m right there with you. The constant attempt to be relevant and jump in on every situation is obnoxious. We can see right through you that you’re trying to manipulate us.

Half the population has a double digit IQ. The methodology has converged on what it has because it works on the majority of the population. Most people don't see through it.

I agree that it is the strategy because it works, but I dont think you can just blame it on the stupids.

A lot of social branding is made by the upper class, for the upper class. After all, they are the ones with disposable income looking for meaning at the top of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

Re: If Every Brand Is Funny Online, Is Anything Funny?

#26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Half the population has a double digit IQ. The methodology has converged on what it has because it works on the majority of the population. Most people don't see through it.

I agree that it is the strategy because it works, but I dont think you can just blame it on the stupids. A lot of social branding is made by the upper class, for the upper class. After all, they are the ones with disposable income looking for meaning at the top of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

Rich != Smart

Re: If Every Brand Is Funny Online, Is Anything Funny?

#27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Half the population has a double digit IQ. The methodology has converged on what it has because it works on the majority of the population. Most people don't see through it.

I agree that it is the strategy because it works, but I dont think you can just blame it on the stupids. A lot of social branding is made by the upper class, for the upper class. After all, they are the ones with disposable income looking for meaning at the top of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

I'm not sure there's a reliable distinction between the wealthy and the stupids. Very little wealth is generated solely or principally as a consequence of applied exceptional intelligence or talent.

Increasingly, as pools of wealth become so concentrated as to be impossible to consume entirely within a statistically average adult lifespan, and are thus passed on to offspring, there is little to no intelligence or talent necessary whatsoever.

For an extreme example consider that in my country we are about to endow yet another habitual gambler with a multi-billion dollar fortune, instantly catapulting them and their entire family over multiple generations, into status of what amounts to minor nobility. And their contribution to society, at least as far as this reward is concerned, is that they had the foresight to spend $5 or $10 or $100 on lottery tickets for the unknownteenth week in a row.

Re: If Every Brand Is Funny Online, Is Anything Funny?

#28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree that it is the strategy because it works, but I dont think you can just blame it on the stupids. A lot of social branding is made by the upper class, for the upper class. After all, they are the ones with disposable income looking for meaning at the top of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

I'm not sure there's a reliable distinction between the wealthy and the stupids. Very little wealth is generated solely or principally as a consequence of applied exceptional intelligence or talent. Increasingly, as pools of wealth become so concentrated as to be impossible to consume entirely within a statistically average adult lifespan, and are thus passed on to offspring, there is little to no intelligence or tal…

I agree that it isnt deterministic, but I think there is a very real correlation between wealth and intelligence, however you want to define the latter.

How much disposable income does the illiterate 20% of Americans have, and who is targeting them with their social consciousness marketing

Re: If Every Brand Is Funny Online, Is Anything Funny?

#29
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

WASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSUPPPP???? WASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSUUUUUUUUUUUUUPPP??? Oh yeah commercials used to be so good...

If you're still talking about it 24 years later, it did what it was supposed to. > Heinerscheid, who became a vice president at the company in July 2022, stated that her goal was to evolve the Bud Light advertising to make it more inclusive, and to move it away from its "fratty and out-of-touch humor". ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Bud_Light_boycott ) "Fratty and out-of-touch humor" stuck the landing well enou…

Budweiser is on its deathbed? I doubt that very much.

Re: If Every Brand Is Funny Online, Is Anything Funny?

#30

Humor, irreverence, formality, political correctness, or whatever quality doesn't seem to be the issue so much as it is authenticity of any kind. But advertising never was authentic. The goal is to drive sales using whatever tools the audience can tolerate, however shameless, and advertising has always pushed boundaries, followed by the inevitable wave of copycats that turn the innovative into the mundane. The tool i…

Great take. I feel like the personal brand influencers love seeing ads, they look up to high budget ads as the culture they should be emulating.
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