28 Apr

Simply punderful

I saw this, this morning, and was reminded…

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…that puns, in the right place, can actually be quite amusing.
In this case, they are, at worst, fun and frivolous – they make the fire brigade seem open and friendly, and like they at least have a sense of humour.

I was always told puns are a big no-no, to avoid them, to make sure you don’t have a book/portfolio full of puns.
This gave me an aversion to puns – I avoided them at all costs. But it was bollocks.
Puns have their place.
Used in the right context, in the right campaign, they can work a treat.

One of Britain’s best-loved ads, Compare the Market / Compare the Meerkat, is based on a pun, with the campaign running for the best part of a decade now.

Lidl run with ‘big on quality, Lidl on price’.

And check out these beauties for Morrisons:

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Puns don’t always work. Worst case they can be eye roll inducing and elicit a groan. That’s not the response you want or the association you want with your brand.
But it’s nonsense that they just don’t work.

Puns, used well, can be incredibly effective – you just have to know when to use them.

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