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A
nother ad legend, Bill Bernbach, stood this thinking on its head. He went on
to use delightfully simple and even product-deprecating humour, to create
brand classics from Chivas Regal whisky to Volkswagen- that lemon of a car.
The product always remained the hero in his advertising, though, and the lighter vein
was never wielded as the substitute for the ‘Big’ ad idea.

Against this polarity, where does humor in Indian advertising stand? And where is our
missing Bernbach? Ironically, has the Ogilvian wisdom come to pass here? While many
brands ride on ‘filmy’ spoofs and cornball ad situations, are consumers really buying the
product or its ad message? Also, while ‘infotainment’ is the buzz, do our humour ads
really entertain the viewer? Finally, why must native cockles always be force-fed with
slapstick renditions of the age-old gag bag? “When will Indian advertising pick up the
courage to really mirror or laugh at the true social fabric, even while riding the aspiration
angle,” queries a communicator.
Or, is the answer crueler? Are advertisers merely supplying the only fare which Indian
audiences can relate to – puns, Hinglish (Hindi-English) joke lines, tired clichés and
‘filmy’ farce? Some advertisers even contend that a staple diet of ham-and–corn gags
helps win mass votes for their brands.

Creative Director of R K
Swamy/BBDO, views “The Indian
brand of street-level humour is in
many cases a product of ‘filmy’
culture and linguistic/regional
influences. We find it funny when
someone imitates a South Indian or
Sardar; slapstick has us in splits. Yet
it would be wrong and even foolish
to assume that the average Indian
does not possess a refined sense of
humour. It could be that it has not been tickled often enough or cleverly enough.”

A new source of worry is that multinational brands and satellite media networks are now
importing an alien sense of humour. While the ‘Pure Thrill’ of creative storylines like
Smirnoff can work across borders, the socio-cultural relevance of Scotch whisky ads like
100 Pipers- with its very Scottish backdrop-is queried by some. And how many in this
country could identify with Pepsi’s humour of ‘sar utha ke piyo’ in Indian ad frames,
query others.

Pundits voice another concern. At a time when media costs are escalating and
consumer movements are gaining strength, many advertisers are wary of taking risks.
This is taking its toll on both creativity and good humour.

So, the crux is: has ad humour really kept tempo with the times? Is there more humour
in Indian advertising now, and is there more of ‘different’ humour? According to, Senior
Vice President and Executive Creative Director, Clarion Advertising, humour is an
emotion and its matrix cannot change, with change in technology, only an ad’s
presentation and packaging may transmute. “An ad idea breaks into the concept and
the execution. As a race, we have not really changed, so it is only the execution which
changes.”

As a communication language, humour appeals to the wit of the day. Consider

these evergreen mascots who have laughed through time: for decades,
billboards have come alive with the jolly Air-India Maharaja. The
lively vignettes of his portly royal highness reflected the
trademark humour of creator Bobby Kooka, and
of a more dignified world. The evergreen
Amul Butter campaign- with its topical one-
liners and ‘Hinglish’ puns– also serves as an
archive of the times. Beyond the creative
devices of 2-D brand mascots, ‘full-figure’
filmy humour came to pass with the Pan
Bahar hamming of cine stars Feroz Khan
and his son.

Today’s humour cameos stand in stark

contrast. They assume special
significance now, since we live in
stressful times. But, where has the
freshness gone? Lament Chairman and
Creative Chief, Advertising Avenues, “The Status of current day ad humour is almost a
joke. Air India hoarding are not what they used to be. Amul is the only one among in the
legends who is still going strong. In a broad sense, this sums up the evaluation of
advertising.”

Beyond creative devices like mascots and cartoons, the depiction of ad humour can
effectively assume any form. Moreover, when the big idea is showcased by brilliant and
unexpected humour, it can serve as an ideal brand launch vehicle. RK Swany/BBDO
cites Mazda’s ad launch of air safety bags: a sleepy driver was shown repeatedly
running his car into a light pole, each time a little faster, until finally the impact was
strong enough to eject the air bag. The driver then nestled his head on the makeshift
pillow and went to sleep. This TV spot drew laughs without saying a single word.
Humour fits four definitions today:

• Obvious slapstick humour, as in the Hindi Film tone of Akai TV.

• Strained humour-, which is very clichéd and hackneyed, as in hinglish and puns.
• Lifted international humour- as in Polo.
• Good use of ad humour- natural, fresh and spontaneous. It sells the product and
charms its way into your consciousness, while remaining Indian in context and
milieu.

In that sense, the satellite V channel posted a mid-90s milestone. Ads for the music
channel created an ethnic cowboy character called Quick Gun Murugan, who used,
‘masala dosa’ accents and dialects to regale the masses. For the first time, our true
Indian skeletons were pulled out of the closet, and we laughed at the jokes poked at us.
“We established that we can create humour ads on our own terms,”

Humour works better for the spectrum of leisure, consumer soft, impulse-purchase and
low value product categories in the market today. Look at the tried and tested: Polo
mints, Coffee Break, Tortoise Coils, Ajanta Toothbrush, Maggi Hot & Sour. On the other
hand, you have high-ticket brands such as, Onida, Chivas Regal, Bajaj Sunny, which
may make you part with big bucks with a smile.” The light side has worked wonders for
brands like Amul, Tortoise, Pan Pasand/Bahar, VIP Luggage, Maggi, Parle, Limca,
among others.

Humour cuts across the board. “Any product one can think of- Cameras, Handy Cams
(Sony) Televisions (Onida), Shoes, Photocopiers, Stereo Systems - has used humour in
an attempt to sell an idea.” The success of these attempts depends on various factors:
the context in which the humour is used, the appeal of the idea it is trying to sell in the
first place, and the quality of the humour itself. Just a slight turn of phrase, a single
expression, or even a voice-like the polo spots-can do the trick.

Humour works along various planes, “ Theoretically, it finds strategic place in low
interest, low involvement categories like Mint, Matchsticks, Pan Pasand/Bahar.
However, high-value brands can also use this route, though consumers want much more
information here. Or it can be used as a maintenance dose, to keep interest alive in
mature categories and brands” Hi-tech brands like Onida tickle the funny bone to stand
out from the brand clutter and competitive ad noise. The husband-wife ad sequel have a
strategic backbone of enjoying the life for a long long time by Tea Board of India, future
forays into the high-end audio market will see the industry drop its humour card. Instead,
an information-packed route, which nurtures a specialist, elite image, will be pursued.

Subtle, situational humour recently gained note for a leisure consumption brand like
Amul’s Kool cafe. A lot of advertisers fight shy of humour on the plea that it is frivolous,
distracting and hurtful to their image. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is even
possible to use humour in corporate or financial service ads, the recent Diabetic Care ad
by ICICI Prudential speaks loud about the use of humour in these services. The
determinant is ‘not’ the product or service. What is more important is the nature of the
communication barrier that needs to be broken down and the desired consumer mindset
necessary to make the communication more forceful and memorable.

The problem with humour is that one man’s joke is another man’s insult. The major
limitation of Indian advertising is that it has no homogeneity, thanks to the country’s
twenty-two languages and diverse cultural fabric, Ad jokes, particularly of the MNC
genre, must hence remember the cultural idiom of their target groups.

In this context, puns and hybrid ‘Hinglish’ copy are often deemed gimmicky, clichéd and
open to mixed interpretations. The charge is that they hold meaning for a very restricted
audience, while visuals and situational humour are more the lingua franca like the recent
Coca-Cola ad of “Dhoom macha le Dhoom - Coke utha le Dhoom macha le”.

About ninety per cent of Indians speak Hinglish, and this assures better brand mileage.
To make consumer contact always consider the cultural nuances for brand mileage, the
message must be relaxed and friendly. Besides, fusion is a fashionable term today, even
for streams like music. However, puns and Hinglish can never serve as broad,
mainstream humour. Hence relevant media selection and exposure is vital for such
humour messages.

A connected caveat is that humour should not offend individual, linguistic or religious
sensibilities. In fact that outrageous ad humour can be a risky business, which only the
adept should tackle. Instead advertising can employ a visual twist, a copy punchline to
avoid offending viewers. “The Bajaj two wheeler ad was impressive, but ran into trouble
since it appeared to look down on browns/blacks. Humour, after all is for the broad-
minded and that species is limited.”

There are umpteen other tenets, which must be obeyed to obtain favourable brand
image and standout:

• The most important rule is that humour always stems from the advertised brand; the
big idea always revolves around the product, and humour can never be its substitute. If
the product is removed from a humour ad and the humour still works, then it is bad
advertising.
• The crux is relevance: “If people react favourably towards the product, it makes for
noticeable, cost-effective advertising which does not need celebrity endorsements.”

• Humour has to always flow naturally. Trying too hard is disastrous, especially if the
desperation shows. Take the message seriously. Some of the past Raymond’s ads were
cited as advertising poor joke.

• Humour must also consider an individual’s split psyche. There are two sides of an
individual’s sense of humour: the boisterous side, which s/he is unashamed to share
with a group of friends and the ‘Private’ mode, where little things tickle her/him. Here,
s/he usually wants to figure out the humour for her/him; to decode a potentially funny
message and to feel rewarded for having done so. May be that’s why comic strips like
Tom and Jerry are so popular. This kind of humour has the best chance of success in
the ad context, as long as it doesn’t offend individual sensibilities.

• Finally, overactive public and consumer as well as conservative clients can thump
good humour to death. Humour is a gut-feel, which can never be discussed in a
conference.

The future course of a good ad laughs ultimately depends on a combination of factors.“I

advocate more use of humour in Indian advertising. Emotion and humour are two wheels
on which Indian advertising can really go places.” The onus is on advertisers, agencies
and viewers to show the way.
# Dr. Tarun Pandeya
Sr. Faculty
Birla Institute of Technology (BIT-MESRA)
A-7, Sector-1, Noida (U.P)
Tel: 0120-2553661-63; 09810436139

Note: The author has used various references in the preparation of this article. For
further details please contact him.