The following is a Public Service Announcement for all HVAC business owners:
Quick! What’s the funniest HVAC ad you’ve seen this year?
…
Okay, what about last year?
...
If you’re drawing a blank, then take a second to THANK THE LAWD.
That blank space is where opportunity lives.
If your industry is commoditized (that’s Latin for “price competitive”) then you need to pivot your strategy. You need to become “interesting.”
How?
Inject some dopamine into your message.
Dopamine is the chemical that’s released when you laugh.
You laugh when you’re pleasantly surprised.
You’re pleasantly surprised when there’s a break in your brain’s pattern recognition software.
You break that pattern by doing something they don’t expect you to do.
Something people don’t expect an HVAC business to do?
Entertain them.
When you make someone laugh, their brain releases endorphins, aka happy chemicals. We bond with those who make us feel good.
A proven shortcut to bonding with your audience? Make them laugh.
[Insert the ghost of Billy Mays] “BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE.”
You can sling jokes all day. But the ones that continue to pinball around in your brain long after the ad is over are the ones who braid their message in with the joke. They’re designed so that you can’t talk about the funny without also talking about the product/service.
The funny has to be relevant. The relevant has to be funny.
When every ad in your industry is as homogenous as a flock of city pigeons, be the odd bird who struts around in a top hat. A message-relevant top hat.
Like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AzDWZE4GQE&t=9s
BGH uses proven comedy techniques in their ad. Here’s a few examples of what they did:
Tension-building:
Slow, dramatic black and white shots. The buildup makes us want to see it resolved. (What’s this all about? What’s going to happen?)
Juxtaposition:
Elements that don’t belong together, but somehow fit. In this case, comic visuals juxtaposed with intense audio. A half-naked man wandering into a ladies luncheon looking for cell service. Normally these three elements wouldn’t be connected. But BGH not only connects them, they produce a relatable truth.
Relatableness:
(That a word? It is now.) Everyone knows at least someone whose dad strut around the house sans pants. Everyone can relate to being so hot that they themselves go with just underroos. And everyone can also relate to searching for better bars.
Implication:
They let the audience fill in the punchline. (When the dad’s joking with the teens, you can guess what he might be saying without needing to hear the words.)
Show, don’t tell:
When the dad hands the girl the remote control, they don’t need to tell you how gross that is. They show it.
Now THAT is how you stand out.
(Talk about a pigeon in a top hat.)
Why aren’t more companies doing this?
BECAUSE THIS STUFF IS HARD.
(It takes balls, if you will.)
If you watched the above video, you’re probably tired of thinking about balls.
But... BALLS are exactly what you should be thinking of when it comes to advertising in an industry that’s bursting at the seams with competition.
You need balls to stand out. Big balls, brass balls, balls of steel. You’ve got to play ball, keep your eye on the ball, and grab your marketing by the balls with a balls-to-the-wall out-there ad.
Because if you don’t have the balls, you won’t get the sales. (That’s just the way the ball bounces man.)
At the Wizard of Ads™, we’re all about having a ball while throwing curve balls and busting balls as hard as we bust predictable patterns.
Ready to get the ball rolling on a whole new ball game?
You know where to find us.
(No more ball metaphors, we promise.)
The ball’s in your court.
(Ok we lied.)
Asia Gregg
Fishing for laughs is useless if you don't know how to f*cking fish. That's where I come in. My wheelhouse is humor. Get on my boat 'cause we're gonna go catch some fat tunas.
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