I saw this, this morning, and was reminded…
…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:
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.