Cannes Lions now rewards humor. Great. But why the flinch center of attention?

This hardly ever disturbed the entrance pages of many newspapers, nevertheless it used to be massive information in my international – certainly, as I run a humor consultancy, this seal of approval in any case satisfied my folks that I’ve a right kind activity.

So, is ‘Use of Humor’ a Cannes Lion? Well, now not relatively.

It’s a sub-category.

This signifies that, throughout 13 classes, if the paintings ‘provides […] laughter-inducing connections with audiences’, because the jury stipulates, it will get a pat at the head.

On the only hand, this may look like damning paintings with faint reward.

“This ad is incredible! What a great idea! What amazing business results! Oh, and it’s… kinda funny too.”

That stated, I don’t need to be churlish.

The advent of this class has greater the selection of humorous commercials being proven, mentioned and successful reward at Cannes. The artful number-crunchers at System 1, the Market Research company, famous closing 12 months that ‘75% of US or UK winners used humor, up from 52% in 2023’. If this continues, I received’t be complaining – and nor will audiences. An Oracle learn about from 2022 confirmed that 91% of folks favor manufacturers to be humorous and 72% would make a selection a logo that makes use of humor over the contest.

So what of closing 12 months’s winners?

Here are 3 that stood out.

A large winner used to be the Thai ‘Sammakorn not Sanpakorn’ marketing campaign. Sammakorn is a logo of housing builders; Sanpakorn is the Thai Tax Revenue Department. Unsurprisingly, folks had been getting their names perplexed, so that they became this right into a self-deprecating advert marketing campaign.

At first look, it’s possible you’ll neatly get the sensation that the speculation has been stretched so skinny as to be just about clear. But there’s just right advertising sense right here – hiya, it will get the logo title repeated and remembered. Also, this marketing campaign is a near-cousin to “Compare the Market, not Compare the Meerkat”. And, because it introduced in 2009, the ones commercials haven’t finished part unhealthy.

From Thailand, we cross to the USA. Uber’s ‘Best Friends’ received a Silver Lion and used to be counseled for its use of heat humor.

It’s now not a foul piece of labor in line with se, however the arch script (“Do you eat food?” “Sure, I eat food.”) can really feel a bit of tiresome whilst you’re gazing the advert once more (and let’s now not put out of your mind that commercials are designed to be watched, and loved, greater than as soon as). The coiled anger of De Niro in Taxi Driver (“You talkin’ to me?”) is a universe and part a century clear of this little, risk free pal film.

Plus, at 3 mins 15 seconds, it’s longer than probably the most best possible pop songs – and it feels that, not like the ones songs, it outstays its welcome.

On the topic of father, Specsavers received a Silver Lion closing 12 months for The Misheard Version, by which Rick Astley re-recorded his vintage hit Never Gonna Give You Up with its misheard lyrics.

The video notes it used to be “the world’s first mass hearing test, causing chaos across socials.” Is this true? Not relatively, however in lots of circles of promoting, there’s an unwritten rule that you just must by no means let the reality get in the way in which of a large overstatement.

But it used to be a a success sufficient advert marketing campaign, each creatively and commercially. Specsavers’ listening to check bookings went up 1,200% above goal, and it faucets, in fact, into the Rickrolling meme. And for a commercially mainstream logo like Specsavers to leap directly to a commercially mainstream singer? Even if it’s now not an cutting edge resolution, it’s surely an clever one.

All 3 commercials are humorous to other levels. But what considerations me is that they appear to play in a single very identical space: embarrassment. This could be very a lot a prevalent humor development – certainly, a contemporary learn about argues that ‘awkwardness, embarrassment and cringe are one of the defining themes of humor from the 2000s onward.’

On the only hand, the truth that the Cannes jury is selecting up in this development is comprehensible. But, on the similar time, this displays a undeniable short-sightedness on their phase. The vary of funny tactics and types in advertising is massive, from this beautiful advert for Canal+.

… to this best possible little advert for the Van Gogh Museum’s café:

… to the quickfire wit of Ryanair:

All 3 of those commercials use humor, however they achieve this in several tactics. And none of them use cringeworthy humor.

It can be a disgrace if, in Cannes, the jury limits its view of humor to at least one sure theme. To use an apt metaphor, it might be a bit of like that specialize in rosé on the expense of the numerous various kinds of wine in the market – all of that are other, however similarly intoxicating.

Paddy Gilmore is the founding father of HumourScope: The Humor Consultancy. He is helping manufacturers use humor properly and neatly of their advertising. He may also be discovered on LinkedIn right here.

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