Ah, our fascination with celebrity. I’m quite sure it’s responsible for my past post, Colbert as Case Study, being my most-viewed blog entry to date. And 24-hour cable news wouldn’t be in business these days without it. And without 24-hour cable news, our Nation’s hero, Stephen Colbert wouldn’t be on television. (Well, at least his alter ego wouldn’t take to the airwaves…um, I mean basic-cable waves).
Without 24-hour cable, Stephen would have no “Papa Bear.” And without his “Papa Bear,” the ONLY bear Stephen likes, I’m sure he’d still be Jon Stewart’s sideshow pony or stuck on some underrated, dead-end comedy instead of being the powerful, all-knowing and downright handsome man we’ve all come to know and love. And that would make me sad, which brings us to today’s Word: Inside Joke.
Recently our hero took a break from protecting Lady Liberty to embark on yet another humanitarian campaign, in addition to “Stephen Colbert’s Balls for Kids” and serving as a loving adoptive parent to Stephen Jr.. After a horrific on-set fall which resulted in a broken wrist and subsequent addiction to prescription painkillers, or “sweet, sweet candy” as he calls them, Stephen bravely started the WristStrong bracelet campaign to raise awareness of “wrist violence.”
On the back of inside jokes, Stephen has activated not only his Nation of loyal followers, but also celebrity social networks. The first component of the joke is fact that cause-related wristbands are so cliché, so yesterday, so pervasive, so overdone to the nth degree, so unnecessary and redundant…The not-so-subtle irony is part of what makes the joke – and Colbert in general – work.
The second bit of the inside joke is the requirement that if you see somebody more famous than you, it is your duty to hand over your wristband to that person. For the celebrity circle, this has a certain element of self-deprecating humor. And for us common folk, it gives us the slight hope that we can share the ultimate inside joke with our friends: seeing our bracelet on a celebrity “Wristwatch” sighting on the show. Together, these components of the joke have put “WristStrong” wristbands on the likes of Katie Couric, Brian Williams, Michael Bloomberg, Vince from “Entourage,” Neil Cavuto, Seth Rogen, “Papa Bear” himself…the list goes on.
Once again brands have something to learn from the Greatest Living American. To gain traction, viral campaigns of any type require a “know-the-code” element. An inside joke goes a long way in giving your campaign a bit of cultural currency.
And don’t be afraid of a little self-deprecating humor. Laughing at yourself and with your audience is better than laughing at them or making fun of them, regardless of whether or not it’s an award-winning spot. Adweek begs to differ on “Duh.”
What are your thoughts? Are self-deprecating, inside jokes the sweet spot, or are they too risky to be worth it? Is making your customers look sophomoric and foolish okay, or should big brands buck this trend?
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