A[DADA]VERTISING
Blame the king.
At some point during the past couple years, commerical advertising has really embrassed the concept of absurdity. It seems like off the wall characters who generate a gutteral WTF?! have become the new standard brand spokesmen. I think the general tone of advertising has become so stale and monotone that nobody even notices commericlas any more. They have become so easy to ignore. Embracing absurdidty is a smart way to break through the clutter.
Typically, advertising is not in itself an innovative art form. Usually it relies on established notions of acceptability borrowed from music, art, and entertainment. You can be innovative within the advertising world, but you are most likely borrowing from other sources. Advertising at its best is only an early adopter. Absurdist ad campaigns like these are the “adult swim” sector of the ad world. Comedy shows that use this type of humor have been around for while and the ad world is just catching up.
Did Burger King set the foundation for this type of advertising?
Do you find awkward ads like these funny, or just confusing?
Has confusing actually become a selling technique?
Does anybody like/understand these?:
Or is this more accurate?:
