‍What are your preferred pronouns?

He/him

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Where's your hometown? 

Guildford, near London

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How do you describe your profession to people you've just met? 

I'm a humor* consultant. 

Why? It's been proven again and again that using humor in ads makes people more likely to buy. What's more, it's people's number one preferred messaging style: the appeal of funny ads is huge. 

However, brands get nervous about using humor. So my job is to help these brands explore what type/s of humor to use and then to use it safely and effectively; my clients include Epson, Allied Irish Banks and Tele2.

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Do people expect you to be funny all the time because you are an expert on humor? If so, how do you deal with that?

I deliberately steer away from the funnyman tag — not because I'm dour (I'm not!) but because my core interest is our ever-expanding knowledge of humor: what we can learn from psychologists, sociologists and neuroscience. Essentially, this is what I bring to the party and this is what brands can benefit from.

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Where did your passion for humor begin? And have you always been funny?

It all really started with my Master's degree: I studied the humor used by twentieth-century avant-garde artists, such as Yoko Ono. After that, I got into advertising, working on a number of funny campaigns for brands such as Three and Getty Images. 

But my interest in the theory and science of humor continued: I'm as interested in the subject on a *scientific* level as much as in conjuring up a funny ad campaign.

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What is your creative process? And where do you find inspiration for new projects?

Everywhere. A creative director I used to work for once said that two-thirds of her ideas came to her while she wasn't at work, and I agree completely. 

I once thought of the tagline for a Brittany Ferries advertising pitch while waiting for a bus. We won the pitch.

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What is an example of a brand failing miserably at humor (you don't have to name names but it would be more interesting if you did)?

A very good example of a brand trying to be funny — but failing miserably — was Just for Feet in their Super Bowl commercial of 1999: 'Kenyan Runner'. At the time, the brand was ranked number six in Fortune magazine's list of America's Fastest Growing Companies, and was predicted to hit $1 billion in annual sales. In short, it was going to be big. 

Their Super Bowl ad was an attempt at humor but was widely perceived as racist. Just for Feet filed for bankruptcy less than a year after the ad appeared; today, the ad is seen as a key trigger in the company's downfall. 

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Conversely, do you have a shining example of a brand that consistently gets humor right?

Volkswagen comes to mind. What's impressive about them — and this is a key lesson for all brands — is they don't try just to be funny. They know what type, and types, of humor works for them and they specialize within that area. They've really thought it out, and they've been using humor remarkably well and consistently for pretty much 60 years. Here's a great example.

What are some skills beyond creativity and humor that make the biggest difference in your work?

Judo. I practice the martial art several times a week and, as well as giving me all-round fitness, it's a great way of developing qualities like respect and persistence. I'm a big believer in 'healthy body, healthy mind' and this is my way of chilling out and — almost paradoxically — focussing in. Sure, you get thrown about a bit — but, hey, it's great fun.

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Do you believe that there's room for humor in every brand? Any examples of categories where humor simply wouldn't work? 

Humor has traditionally been used in low-consideration, low-cost treats: things like beer, candy, fast-food and so on. It's no surprise that McDonald's uses humor in much of their marketing. 

But the past few years have seen a massive expansion in the brands that use it. A car, for example, is a high-cost item and you're going to give buying a car a *lot* of consideration. And brands like VW and Škoda use humor a lot. 

To take another category, insurance is a very important, serious purchase. And American insurance brands, like GEICO, Progressive and Liberty Mutual use humor extensively in their advertising. Why? Because their audiences love it — and it works commercially.

How do you see humor evolving in branding and advertising in the future? Any predictions?

I do. There is so much to learn from advances in psychology, sociology and marketing science. My prediction — for what it's worth — is that any half-decent brand will have a unique humor handbook in their marketing department and with their creative agencies. In fact, this is what I create for my clients, using my HumourScope® methodology. 

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Where can The Subtext readers keep up with you? 

Brands & Humour - my weekly Substack, myInstagram, and LinkedIn.

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Bonus Round: Top 5 tracks or books of 2023 (so far) 

Paul Feldwick: 'Why does the Pedlar Sing? What Creativity Really Means in Advertising' (2021)

Elizabeth Bishop: 'Collected Poems' (2004)

Simon Critchley: 'On Humour' (2002)

Jessie Ware: 'That! Feels Good!' (2023)

Brad Mehldau (after Radiohead): Exit Music (for a Film) (1998)

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Bonus Round: What's your favorite joke?

Did you hear about the cargo ship carrying yoyos? It sank 44 times.


‍*We're using the American spelling for humour. Apologies to all of our UK readers who might scoff at this spelling.