HERE COMES THE PUN

In early January, one of our ads for The Devil Wears Prada: The Musical caught fire on social media, prompting the original poster, Matt Roach, to quip, “whoever wrote this Hathaway with words!” The ad, which appeared in a train carriage next to the doors, reminded viewers to “Mind the Diors” beside an image of the brand’s iconic stiletto. The virality of this “designer pun” (Mad Over Marketing) is a delightful reminder of something we’ve long believed – that when it comes to entertainment marketing, it pays to be… well, entertaining.  

In this age of the ever-decreasing attention span, we salute the awesomely efficient power of the humble pun. When well-crafted and well-placed, it can entertain in a way few other verbal constructions can, effectively conveying the fun that’s waiting on the other side of a potential ticket sale.  

But unlike with steaks, well done puns are also rare – writing one is easier said than pun. Comedy writing in any form is hard. But it’s often the glue that holds a creative idea together. That’s the thing about great copy – it sticks. 

We’ve always believed that showing people that a show or experience is fun makes for a more lasting impression than telling people it’s fun. Puns help. Back to the Future: The Musical’s “Cool As Flux,” for instance, hints at “impressive fun for all ages” without saying it’s “impressive fun for all ages.” That campaign’s calls to action include “Don’t walk. Don’t run. McFly.” and “See it Yesterday.” Admittedly, with well-known brands like Devil Wears Prada or Back to the Future, the need for less “education” upfront gives us the freedom to let loose in the comedy sandbox… which, unfortunately, is something we don’t actually have in our office. Yet. 

Our friends at Jamie Wilson Productions (producers of Devil Wears Prada and Mrs. Doubtfire: The Musical) are true partners in pun-ditry. Our early ads for Doubtfire asked viewers, “Who’s Your Nanny?” and encouraged them to “Frock On.” We’ve juxtaposed Mrs. Doubtfire and Miranda Priestly within the same ad: “Glam vs. Gran”, “The Queen of Fashion vs. The Queen of Tartan”. We even connected JWP’s production of Sister Act to Doubtfire with a “Your Favourite Nun vs. Your Favourite Nan” campaign. (Holy hit, was that a good one.) Okay, these last few aren’t exactly puns… but they fit the billboard. 

In comedy, timing is everything. We’ve often had a pun in the oven for months or even years before it’s ready to serve. We couldn’t wait for Doubtfire to run for a year so we could drop its “First Nanniversary” campaign. And since we first introduced her to the West End with a “Hellooooooo!” we knew she’d someday have to say “Toodle-ooooo!”  

The festive season tends to be the most pun-derful time of the year. Time-strapped shoppers love a dose of efficient cheer, e.g. the joyful fun of Mamma Mia!’s “Snowing Me, Snowing You,” “Yulez-Vous” ads… and snow many more.  

Contextual advertising, so crucial in our attention economy, provides a golden opportunity to entertain with our ads. When context is King, copy can be Joker – wildly unpredictable, and whatever you need it to be. For Devil Wears Prada’s bus-side ads, we found that the best way to channel Miranda Priestly’s boss-bitch bluntness was not a pun but straight up contextual comedy: “She doesn’t take the bus.” As the rest of that campaign told it, she also “doesn’t take the tube” and “doesn’t do traffic.” Miranda’s “direct, unsparing” tone of voice also inspires every social post and community management reply extending her character beyond the stage into the larger brand journey. Possibly the only time we’ve been able to give the sass back to our audiences! 

To know a good pun is to punderstand its limitations. In some cases, the nuances of a production’s “Brand Voice” will lead us down other strategic paths. Our campaign for Magic Mike Live, for example, opts for “Cheeky Sophistication” – i.e. billboards with sexy guys telling drivers to keep their “Eyes on the Road” or ads in fashion magazines advising readers, “Don’t Go for the Costumes.” A simple rhyme is the proven darling of our remarketing campaign: “Stop Looking. Start Booking.”  

And of course when it comes to serious drama, funny doesn’t fly. As much as we might want to advertise a production of Uncle Vanya as “One to Checkov Your List”, we’ll save the zingers for the spoof.  

Yes, we’re entertainment marketers. But we’re also marketing entertainers. In show business, the consumer journey must be infused with the essence of the experience itself. Every satisfying burst of joy along the way – no matter how small – nudges people closer to booking tickets.  

We take pride in creating those priceless moments when the doom scrolling stops, the clouds of indifference part, and we think to ourselves… here comes the pun.  

And we say, it’s all write.