The joke is on you

I sit in front of the TV amused (or maybe amazed) at the number of commercials that limp along with poor strategies and rely on nothing more than over the top humor to get noticed. Advertising has "evolved" away from a communication of benefits and point of difference to micro entertainment, something to entertain us while the TV show gets back on air. And marketers have accepted and embraced this absurd notion. For inspiration, I suggest advertising managers look at the power of infomercials: tightly focused on demonstrating the unparalleled performance of the product at hand, they can hold the attention of a viewer for 10, maybe 15 minutes while the pitchman shows us how superior Oxy Clean really is! And the humor coefficient is low and when present it is incidental. Infomercials may appear crude and unsophisticated to many MBA trained marketers (like myself), but they really embody the core of advertising: sell your product on its point of difference. If you can't think of one, then spend your time and money on creating and defining one. If you don't, your most creative people at the agency will find a clever and amusing idea. It will be funny, and you will buy it. And then you will be stuck with the next Taco Bell chihuahua fiasco campaign. And the joke will be on you!