Many of my favorite TV commercials use the Incongruity technique to create something that not only strikes your funny bone but makes you remember the advertised product/service. (Again, see Old Spice Man: The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.)

Remember “Think outside the box”? Today, you wouldn’t think of using that phrase with your clients, but you could offer to come up with something “crazy fresh.”

The next time you’re thinking up a new ad, design, or pitch, or even a new way of styling a photo shoot, think about how you might use the Incongruity Theory of Humor in your own work to create something memorable—something that “sticks.”

Something viral this way comes? (with apologies to Wm. Shakespeare)

FUD was first used in IBM advertising decades ago, asking the prospective customer whether they believed their job would be safe if they chose to buy another company’s computing products. Microsoft, ever the innovator (!), adopted the technique and soon became known for using FUD in all their ads and promotions.

The reason that many ads still use FUD to drive their messaging is that in lots of cases it works. It plays on paranoia and our human instinct to want to fit in. Studies show that when we are made to feel uncomfortable, one of the things we do is spend money to feel better. (Extra points for ads that weave humor into the FUD message; see Old Spice Man.)

OneLove is a way of thinking about the opposite kind of messaging—advertising that shows a product or service that brings more joy into your life. Apple’s advertising uses OneLove messaging. Think about iPad ads; they don’t say “Your friends will shun you until you own one of these.” Instead, they just show happy users doing fun stuff. Consider ads for Disney World, or for the Toyota Sienna, or for Foster’s beer, or for your favorite sports team. They are a celebration of life, reminding you of the joy you can experience if you buy those products.

As we can see, both types of messages work. It all depends on the target audience and how the advertiser wants them to feel. The next time you see an ad think about what it’s doing. Is it making you feel good? Or bad? And what does it make you want to do? (“Turn off the TV” is one of the acceptable answers.) What do you think would be the best type of advertising for your client? (Hint: first, think about who the target audience is.)

Enter a couple of paragraphs of your writing and let the “I Write Like” analyzer tell you which famous writer your prose resembles. Try it now! It even gives you the code for a “badge” you can post on your blog or Facebook or wherever.

Then, for more information about how the statistical analyzer works, read the interview with creator Dmitry Chestnykh.

(I entered the lyrics to the Beatles’ song “Give Peace a Chance” and it said I write like James Joyce!)