I wonder. If I take this home study course that I just got from Marlon Sanders and put it in a blender, will it blend?

Okay, no … I haven’t lost my mind. Well, maybe I have, but that’s besides the point. In fact, that ship may have sailed a long time ago. So for the sake of this article, let’s assume I’m sane enough to know what I’m talking about.

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ve seen the “Will It Blend” videos on YouTube. I think that guy has shoved everything into those blenders from IPhones to Ipads. Trust me, you do NOT want to try this stuff at home. But hilarious? I could watch those videos for HOURS.

Kind of the point, isn’t it?

And THAT, my friend, is what we call marketing.

Welcome to the pros.

Be honest. Haven’t you, many times, sat down after watching some ad for whatever it was and said to yourself, “Damn … I wish I thought of that.”

For me, the list of ads that I call pure genius goes on forever. Geico has had some of the best ads ever in the history of advertising, from the caveman to the gecko to the newest “Happier than a …. ” and fill in the blank. I personally love Gallagher. Of course I grew up watching the guy so I’m biased.

Point is, this is the stuff that sells the stuff that we buy. As a consumer, we tend to fall more in love with the ad than we do the product itself. And that’s fine, as long as the product has value. Eventually, even a great ad is going to bomb out if what it’s selling is crap.

Crazy Eddie had some great commercials with Dr. Jerry Carroll until Eddie Antar ran off to Timbuktu with the family jewels and bankrupted the company. Oh those were good times.

I’m sure you have your favorites as well. But have you ever sat down and really thought about WHY you love these ad campaigns? What one thing seems to tie them altogether?

It’s called humor my friend.

We live in a pretty screwed up world. One need only turn on the 10 PM news to find out just HOW screwed up it is. Personally, I hate watching the news because it’s so depressing. However, I’ll never turn off an episode of “Big Bang Theory” because it makes me laugh.

And commercials? Have you noticed that almost ALL commercials today are humorous to some extent?

Why do you think that is? Do you think maybe it’s because most people feel like I do, that the world is a scary place, that there’s too much violence and that MAYBE we just need a good laugh from time to time?

I love “Criminal Minds” but I really don’t think I could watch a marathon of the show. By the end of it, I’d be really upset. But slap on a SOAP Marathon and they might have to take me to ICU from too much laughter.

Truth is, there’s not enough laughter in the world. So if you can get your sales message across with a little bit of humor, why not?

Have you ever even tried?

A lot of people are afraid to. They’re afraid that a little humor will turn their prospects away because they won’t take their ad seriously. If that were the case, all these people selling “fill in the blank” would be out of business.

I don’t think Geico is going broke anytime soon.

The key to making this work is to have something of substance beneath the humor.

In spite of all of Geico’s yucks, you can’t ignore the “15 minutes can save you 15% or more on your car insurance.” That’s a real message there under all the humor. Who wouldn’t want to save 15% on their car insurance?

Look at the Aflac commercials with the stupid duck. My personal favorite is the one with Yogi Berra where he spouts all his “Yogiisms”. How do you NOT love that? But with the duck and all his zaniness, there is a real message there for people who are hurt and out of work. I mean this is a real serious topic that is being delivered with humor.

Sure, some topics are hands off when it comes to humor. The ads for cancer and for quitting smoking are dead serious. Maybe a little TOO dead serious. I can’t watch them because they’re too upsetting. But again, we’re talking about something life threatening so we need to hit the public hard.

So, you need to be able to determine WHEN you can use humor and when you have to keep it OUT of your marketing. That’s where a lot of people have problems. Well, the solution is simple.

If you’re marketing a product, most likely other people are marketing a similar product. Remember, stuff that sells isn’t being sold by just one person. Even if it is, eventually, somebody is going to come out with a similar product and sell it.

Take a look at the other ad campaigns, especially the successful ones. What approach is being used? Is it serious, humorous, casual or something else? By looking at the competition, you can get a feel for what you probably can and can’t do.

And this doesn’t just apply to humor. It applies to sex as well. Hey, sex sells. And if you can somehow incorporate sex into your message (again, do your research) then by all means, go for it.

One thing you NEVER want to be, no matter what tactic you use, is dull.

Watch the Kennedy/Nixon debates from the 60s, if you can find a video. The reason Nixon lost was because he was stiff and dull and looked even worse. That debate killed any chance he had of becoming President of the United States. And US politics has never been the same since.

Finally, don’t be afraid to take chances. Be daring. Take risks. If you don’t, you’re just going to be another face in the crowd.

It doesn’t have to blend.

But it sure as hell better excite.

To YOUR Success,

Steven Wagenheim

Want to get your home business on the right track? Get my 4 Steps To Business Success and you’ll be on your way to a successful business in no time flat.