It’s only bad if we think it is…

Eat Here or We Both Starve

At least you can be known as the one who never let ‘em see you sweat. Though popular wisdom says to avoid humor in marketing, I’m not much for that particular bit of popular wisdom.

Avoid unfunny humor in marketing. And in bars, parties, and meeting your future mother-in-law.

If you’re funny—be tasteful, and go for it. No one else is.

Maximum impact.

Grow and be well,

Kelly Erickson

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9 Responses to “Tip of the Week: Lighten Up”

Brett Legree says:
20 December 2008, 8:51 am

Kelly,

You have to tell me where this is, because I’m starving right now

Awesome sign!

-Brett

Brett Legree’s last blog post…viking fridays – burning logs and reindeer bones.

Friar says:
20 December 2008, 10:13 am

@Kelly

I LIKE IT…!!!

I’d there at least once, just based on the sign!

Another one I like (a tried-and-true old chestnut) is the signs at Dairy Queen (or any other icecream place):

“Scream until Daddy stops the Car”.

Friar says:
20 December 2008, 10:16 am

@Kelly

I forgot to add….Burger King’s “Angry Whopper” ad campaign.

In Splat Creek, the sign says “ANGERY WHOPPER”. It’s been up there for two weeks, and it makes me chuckle each time I see it.

Though I’m not sure if it was a deliberate attempt at humor, or just some brain-dead hick that couldn’t spell.

Friar’s last blog post…You know you’ve experienced a true Canadian winter when…

Brett Legree says:
20 December 2008, 10:28 am

@Friar,

Nothing says “that’s why you work for minimum wage!” like “Angery Whopper” (I know that’s kind of mean, but COME ON, all the person had to do was copy the official posterboard that BK gave them to zip tie to the pole not 10 feet from the letterboard sign… FAIL!)

Brett Legree’s last blog post…viking fridays – burning logs and reindeer bones.

Friar says:
20 December 2008, 10:50 am

@Brett

Do you think they did it on purpose? (…though somehow I doubt it…). Splat Creek isn’t that sophisti-ma-cated.

Friar’s last blog post…You know you’ve experienced a true Canadian winter when…

Kelly Erickson says:
20 December 2008, 11:34 am

Brett, Friar,

I don’t get it. Why are the Whoppers angry in CAN?

Angery is super. If they did it for the “made you look” effect that would be great, but *sigh* like you, I doubt it.

This sign: There is a backstory. In September, I put up a bunch of awning photos here for another post. At that time I took a picture of the sign under the awning with the British flags on it, that said “Eat Here or We Both Starve.” I thought it was marvellously funny and anti-recession and unique, and well, I already eat there and I never starve when I go. I knew I wanted to do this post eventually.

Went to pull the photo last night and it was GONE. I was so bummed.

I typed the phrase into Yahoo to see if anyone else had taken a picture of it and discovered that though it is marvellously funny, it isn’t unique at all. Nobody had taken a photo of the one I saw but plenty of people had taken photos of the one in their town. So this photo is one I plucked off the www, from someotherrestaurant in someotherplace.

You can come down and eat at Stoney’s any time, though. Great Brit food. Mmm.

Regards,

Kelly

Graham Strong says:
20 December 2008, 1:27 pm

@Kelly – After one of your comments last week about your Saturday posts being slow, I made a concerted effort to look in today.

Okay — totally off-topic (who me?) I started a collection of funny signs that I snapped pictures of all over the world. It isn’t actually that big of a collection, but this is exactly the sort of sign I would add to it.

My two favourites, both taken on the same day and within a few blocks of each other in London:

“These doors are alarmed” — though they looked quite relaxed.

“Please excuse any inconvenience during shoplifting” — um, excuse me, I hate to be rude but I couldn’t help but notice you slipped that Big Ben statue into your pocket. Ah, if you wouldn’t mind, could you please wait here while I call the police? Sorry to inconvenience you — let’s have a cup of tea while we’re waiting.

(Took me a long time to figure out that shoplifting meant renovations…)

~Graham

Graham Strong’s last blog post…Creative Ads: Folgers

Conrad Hees says:
20 December 2008, 4:02 pm

Good post,Kelly

Very Godinesque I wish I could be so concise!

Conrad Hees’s last blog post…Challenge Your Business Model!

Kelly Erickson says:
20 December 2008, 4:47 pm

Graham,

Shoplifting is a new one on me—that’s great!

I thank you, and the crickets thank you. They can take a small break from chirping.

Conrad,