The news from this year’s TV upfront market is that while the economy continues its drag on overall revenues, the one bright spot for primetime network sales has been half hour sitcoms.  According to an article in Advertising Age, the cost of a :30 in top shows like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Desperate Housewives” dropped while comedies like “How I Met Your Mother” and even purported comedies like “The New Adventures of Old Christine” actually increased slightly.

For anyone who’s ever heard a client openly question the value of comedy in advertising, this is concrete evidence that people love to laugh.  Brands that make people laugh with relevant messages take the expressway into the heart of consumer opinion.  We all love to be entertained, to be surprised and delighted.

Even the greatest talents are hardpressed to move someone to tears in a scant thirty seconds, but getting a laugh is very doable in that timeframe.  Get one for the right reason and you can create value for the brand you advertise.

Heck, get one for the wrong reason and you might at least create the next Mentos, you fresh maker…

By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79