Humor In Ads: Laughs Fall Along Gender Lines

• Comment (2)
• Recommend (2)
• Tweet
• 

Just watch the Super Bowl ads each year and it’s pretty clear that marketers feel laughter is a calling card. But with broadly targeted products, creative development takes time to discover the interplanetary middle ground to reach both Mars and Venus.
 
Nielsen research indicates that males and females embrace ads with different types of humor. Using a study of millennials ages 13 to 34, Nielsen found that males like “slapstick, edgy, sarcastic” comedy, while females appreciate an “off-beat, but not mean-spirited” approach.
 
Of course, humor isn’t the only area where males and females react differently to 30-second spots. With characters in advertising, males like “normal guys” and “exaggerated situations.” Females go for “happy situations” and an “I could be her” tack.
 
Which might explain why females like themes that highlight “strong female celebrities” and “having fun.” Males go for “competition” and/or “extreme imagery.”
 
With tonality, females like liveliness and “hip music,” while males go for a “whimsically humorous” approach.
 
According to new Nielsen data, females in the 18-to-49 demo watch about 11 hours more of TV a month than males. In a 2-to-17 segment, TV viewing is about the same between the genders.
 
Males 18 to 49 do consume video on the Internet and mobile phones slightly more than females.

Image by Shutterstock

• Comment (2)
• Recommend (2)
• Tweet
• 

2 comments on "Humor In Ads: Laughs Fall Along Gender Lines".

1. Jay Coventry from Coventry Media
   

   commented on: September 13, 2012 at 6:26 p.m.
   Does anyone *really* think ads are humorous? Very few. And what are humorous are usually demeaning toward males, and/or make females seem to be airheads.- and valley girls.
2. cathlyn park from adcreative
   

   commented on: January 9, 2013 at 4:24 a.m.
   Interesting concept, but do we really have to advertising along gender lines here? I mean, I think when it comes to humor, I think there are some universal topics that we can actually use for advertising. Look at this post: http://adcreative.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/how-humor-works-in-advertisements/ . it describes how humor works in advertisements. I think for the most part, it is just about really giving them something that is universally funny.

Leave a Comment