humor-business.ppt

1、44,1,Humor in Business and Advertising,by Don L. F. Nilsen and Alleen Pace Nilsen,Business as Usual,The Effects of Business as Usual,44,4,An Office at “Google”,44,5,Businesses which encourage humoralso suggest:,44,6,How do you encourage humor in your business?,Flatten your organization by reducing t

2、he levels of management. Allow workers more discretion in making decisions. Foster creative thinking. Accept employee attitudes, emotions, and suggestions. Encourage teamwork and collaboration. (Morreall 2008: 458),44,7,Humor-in-Business Surveys:,A Robert Hall survey of 100 of the largest American c

3、orporations found that 84 % of vice presidents and human resource directors preferred employees with a sense of humor. They concluded that “People with a sense of humor tend to be more creative, less rigid and more willing to consider and embrace new ideas and methods.” (Morreall 2008: 459),44,8,A H

4、odge-Cronin survey polling 737 CEOs of major corporations concluded that 98 % of respondents said that humor was important in the conduct of business, that most executives did not have enough humor, and that in hiring they gave preference to people with a sense of humor. (Morreall 2008: 459),44,9,Ma

5、tch the Slogans with the Products,“Athletes Foot,” “B. O.” “The beer that made Milwaukee famous,” “The drink that makes a pause refreshing,” “Good to the last drop,” “Halitosis,” “Knocks Eczema,” “Natures spelled backwards,” “Say it with flowers,” “The skin you love to touch,” “Snap, Crackle and Pop

6、,” “VapoRub,” “When it rains, it pours,” Absorbine Jr., Lifebuoy Soap, Schlitz Beer, Coca Cola, Maxwell House Coffee, Listerine Mouthwash, Noxema, Serutan, American Florest Assoc., Woodburys Facial Soap, Rice Krispies, Vicks, Morton Salt CREATIVE SPELLINGS: E-Z, Kwik, ReaLemon, Reddi-Wip, Tastee-Fre

7、ez, Toys Us, While you wait (Bryson, 2009: 427-430),44,10,The Staying Power of Brand Names,“In nineteen of twenty-two categories, the company that owned the leading American brand in 1925 still has it today. Examples include: Campbells in soup Del Monte in canned fruit Gillette in razors Ivory in so

8、ap Kelloggs in breakfast cereals Kodak in film Nabisco in cookies Sherwin Williams in paint Singer in sewing machines Wrigleys in chewing gum (Bryson 2009: 431),44,11,Common Nouns vs. Proper Nouns,Many advertisers are so successful that their product names ordinary words in the language. Ironically,

9、 this is because of their own advertising campaigns: “Kodak as you go.” “Thermos is a household word.” “Drink Coca Cola.” “Because of the confusion, and occasional lack of fastidiousness on the part of their owners, many dozens of products have lost their trademark protection, among them aspirin, li

10、noneum, yo-yo, thermos, cellophane, milk of magnesia, mimeograph, lanolin, celluloid, dry ice, escalator, shredded wheat, kerosene and zipper.” (Bryson 2009: 433),44,12,Materialism in America,“If Greece gave the world philosophy, Britain gave drama, Austria gave music, Germany gave politics, and Ita

11、ly gave art, then America has recently contributed mass-produced and mass-consumed objects.” “In all cultures we buy things, steal things, and hoard things. From time to time, some of us collect vast amounts of things such as tulip bulbs, paint drippings on canvases, bits of minerals. Others collect

12、 such stuff as thimbles, shoes, even libraries of videocassettes.” (Twitchell 2009: 454-455),44,13,“Materialism does not crowd out spiritualism; spiritualism is more likely a substitute when objects are scarce. When we have few things, we make the next world holy. When we have plenty, we enchant the

13、 objects around us. The hereafter becomes the here and now.” “The Nike swoosh, the Polo pony, the Guess? Label, the DKNY logo are what consumers are after.” (Twitchell 2009: 457),44,14,The Marketing of the Sugarplum Fairy and the Nutcracker,Enid Nemy tells about seven-year-old Mollie Kurshan who att

14、ended “The Nutcracker Suite” at Lincoln Center and then told her mother: “There was a Sugar Plum Fairy and beautiful costumes, and best of all they stopped in the middle so you could go shopping. The Kurshans now have a cute little wooden nutcracker, bought at the gift shop during intermission.” (Tw

15、itchell 12009: 459),44,15,Marketing Controls Our Lives,“Not only are all major museum shows sponsored by corporate interests, but they all end up in the same spot: the gift shop.” “The year is punctuated by extravaganzas from Christmas to Valentines Day to Mothers Day to Halloween” “We even know whe

16、n prices fall: Washingtons birthday, Labor Day, after Christmas.” We also know what kind of candy to expect on certain days: candy canes, sugar hearts, chocolate, candy corn, and instead of water breaks, we have coffee breaks, tea time, cocktail hour, and night caps. (Twitchell 2009: 460),44,16,Bran

17、d Names Hydra Zen is a moisturizer, and Jesus is a brand of jeans.” “Consumerism has become the religion of our time (with advertising its holy text), but the criticism usually stops short of what is at the heart of the comparison. Both advertising and religion share a belief in transformation.” (Ki

18、lbourne 2009: 470),44,20,Advertising can change cultures,“In 1980 the Gwichin tribe of Alaska got television, and therefore massive advertising, for the first time.” “They no longer had time to learn ancient hunting methods, their parents language or their oral history.” “Legends told around campfir

19、es could not compete with Beverly Hills 90210.” “Beaded moccasins gave way to Nike sneakers, and “tundra tea” to Folgers instant coffee.” (Kilbourne 2009: 470),44,21,44,22,Sun Microsystems,During interviews of job candidates, Nancy Hauge, Director of human resources at Sun Microsystems “notes how so

20、on job candidates laugh.” She watches for how long it takes the interviewee to find something funny, tell her something funny, or share their sense of humor, “because humor is very important to our corporate culture.” (Morreall 2008 459),44,23,Crazy Times Call for Crazy Organizations,The back cover

21、of Crazy Times Call for Crazy Organizations pictures the author (Tom Peters) dressed in a gray suit from the waist up, and in loud orange-print undershorts from the waist down. This is followed by the following quote from the book: “Welcome to a world where imagination is the source of value in the

22、economy. Its an insane world, and in an insane world, sane organizations make no sense.” (Morreall 2008: 460),44,24,The Grouch Patrol,One branch of Digital Equipment created the “Grouch Patrol.” Whenever they see a sour face, they make a bat face. To make a bat face, push the tip of your nose up, fl

23、ick your tongue in and out quickly, and make a high-pitched “Eeeee” sound. (Morreall 2008: 460),44,25,Humorous Sales Reinforcement,The 75-member sales team of IBMs Inside Sales Center made a pick-up orchestra, and recorded their sales in fun waysby smashing a gong, or by moving a toy race-horse arou

24、nd a race track. In the saddles were pictures of the various sales personnel. Within a year their sales figures went up by 30 percent. (Morreall 2008: 460),44,26,H-I R-A-L-P-H,In their Humor at Work, Esther Blumenfield and Lynne Alpern tell about a group of women who had a co-worker who would routin

25、ely drop his pencil on the floor so that he could look under the table at their legs. So the ladies used a magic marker to print on their knees, one letter per kneecap: “HI RALPH.” (Morreall 2008 462),44,27,John Cleeses Video Arts Company,In one of his business-training videos, John Cleese (of Monty

26、 Python fame) tells how laughter helps people pay attention, relax, learn better, and develop a less-defensive attitude. In his video entitled, “Meetings, Bloody Meetings” he shows a meeting in which everything that could go wrong does go wrong. Employees have to admit that they have made some of th

27、ese same mistakes, but they are not on the defensive for having made them, and can do better in the future. (Morreall 2008: 466),44,28,Admitting Mistakes,When one business manager made a really bad mistake, and had to call a meeting to talk about it, he walked into the meeting wearing a t-shirt with

28、 a large red bulls-eye in the front. Everyone laughed, relaxed, and began working on the problem. (Morreall 2008: 466),44,29,Benefits of Humor in the Workplace,1. Humor is physically and psychologically healthy, especially in reducing stress. 2. Humor fosters mental flexibility, blocking negative em

29、otions (fear, anger and depression), and helping workers keep their cool and think more clearly. (Morreall 2008: 470),44,30,3. Because humor is based on enjoying what is unexpected, humor gets us out of ruts and helps us think more creatively. 4. Because humor involves switching perspectives, it hel

30、ps us cope with change and increases our tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty. 5. Because humor helps people develop rapport with each other, it serves as a social lubricant. Companies which promote humor have higher morale, more loyalty to the company, and closer bonds among employees. (Morreall

31、 2008: 470),44,31,Examples of Humor in the Workplace,A debt collection letter reads as follows: “We appreciate your business, but, please, give us a break. Your account is overdue 10 months. That means that weve carried you longer than your mother did.” (Morreall 2008: 471),44,32,The CEO of a large

32、Canadian bank appears in a monthly corporate video that is shown to all employees to discuss recent issues and plans. “But part way through his presentation, a hand puppet appears to ask him questions about recent problems in the bank and even to poke fun at him.” (Morreall 2008: 471),44,33,Just as

33、the California police arrive on the scene of a family fight, one officer hears loud noises and screaming. Then she sees a portable TV set come crashing through the front window. She knocks loudly on the door, and when the occupants ask, “Whos there,” she responds, “TV repair.” (Morreall 2008: 471),4

34、4,34,Scott Adams “Dilbert”,“Dilbert” themes include downsizing, heavy work loads, micromanagement of budgets, humiliating small cubicles, the accelerating pace of change, corporate gobbledegook, management fads, cruel bosses, annoying colleagues, and red tape.” Guy Kawasaki, a management expert at A

35、pple Computer says: “There are only two kinds of companies, those that recognize that theyre just like Dilbert, and those that dont know it yet.” (Morreall 2008: 472),44,35,Southwest Airlines,Herb Kelleher is the CEO of Southwest Airlines. In 1994, Fortune magazine featured Kelleher “dressed in a WW

36、I-style leather aviators helmet and goggles flying with just his arms. The caption read, “Is Herb Kelleher Americas Best CEO? Hes wild; hes crazy; hes in a tough businessand he has built the most successful airline in the U.S.” The article goes on to show how “Kellehers sense of humor, his quick min

37、d and business savvy, and his ability to create an enthusiastic team are interrelated.” (Morreall 2008: 473).,44,36,Herb Kelleher,In his job interviews, one of the questions that Kelleher asks is, “Tell me how you recently used your sense of humor in a work environment. Tell me how you have used hum

38、or to defuse a difficult situation.” He explains why: “What we are looking for, first and foremost, is a sense of humor. We dont care that much about education and expertise, because we can train people. We hire attitudes.” (Morreall 2008 473),44,37,Herb Kelleher vs. Kurt Herwald,In 1992, the slogan

39、 of Southwest Airlines was “Just Plane Smart.” In 1992, the slogan of Stevens Aviation was “Plane Smart.” So the two CEOs decided to arm wrestle for the slogan. (Morreall 2008: 474),44,38,The Arm-Wrestling Match,Herwald was a beefy 37-year-old weight lifter. Kelleher was a 61-year-old long-time smok

40、er and bourbon drinker. When Kelleher came to the match, he had his right arm in a sling, and a bad case of “Athletes Foot”the result of “overtraining” (Morreall 2008: 474),44,39,Kelleher Lost the Match, but,The Southwest people were in the stands shouting, “Herb! Herb! Herb!” Although Kelleher lost

41、 the match, the Southwest people still enjoy telling the story. More of the story of Southwest Airlines can be found in Kevin and Jackie Freibergs book, Nuts! Southwest Airlines Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success (Morreall 2008 474),44,40,Herb Kellehers Southwest Airlines,Southwest emplo

42、yees are encouraged to create a playful environment. When there is a delay at the gate, the ticket agent might award prizes to the passengers with the strangest items in their pockets or purses. They have even been known to sing the flight safety announcements to the tune of the theme song from the

43、Beverly Hillbillies TV show. (Morreall 2008: 474),44,41,Logical Infelicities and Language Play in Advertising:,Name Calling Ape Lincoln, bleeding heart liberal, male chauvinist pig Glittering Generality our Christian heritage, unquestioned patriotism, silent majority Plain-Folks Appeal kissing babie

44、s, eating Polish sausages, fried chicken, or blintzes Stroking (Argument ad Populum) you fine people, heartland of America, backbone of America Argument ad Hominem fanatics, lesbians, Lincoln the baboon (Cross 2009: 149-159),44,42,MORE LOGICAL INFELICITIES:,Transfer (Guilt or Glory by Association) K

45、u Klux Klan, as American as apple pie Bandwagon the Pepsi generation, Blings true, they may have relied on faulty intelligence or untrustworthy informants. But they spoke in error, they insist, never intending to mislead.” (Bok 2009: 196),44,48,Opponents of the War in Iraq,“Increasing numbers now qu

46、estion whether intelligence was simply erroneous or whether it was twisted, cherry-picked, to mislead the public.” “They are skeptical about the sincerity of those who claimed that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and who issued warnings such as that the smoking gun that could turn into a mushro

47、om cloud or who claimed to know that Saddam Hussein was in league with Al-Quaeda.” (Bok 2009: 196),44,49,“Even among those who hold such sharply discordant views, however, there are two areas of agreement. First, most people now agree that President Bush and other public officials presented argument

48、s to support going to war that relied on evidence later found to be false. Second, most also agree that the burden of death, disability, and suffering resulting from the invasion is far greater than the proponents of going to war had predicted.” (Bok 2009: 197),44,50,HUMOR IN BUSINESS,In Humor Works

49、, John Morreall said that people do their best work when they have control over their lives and when they feel they are valued members of a team. Morreall outlined five advantages of humor in the workplace:,44,51,It helps reduce psychological distance between management and non-management. It minimi

50、zes formality and makes it easy and comfortable for people to communicate across levels. It fosters camaraderie and team spirit. It promotes positive rather than negative reinforcement. It encourages people to take risks and try new things.,44,52,ROBERT FROST,Robert Frost said, “By working faithfull

51、y eight hours a day, you may eventually get to be a boss and work twelve hours a day.”,44,53,“SOFT SKILLS”,C. Thomas Howard, director of the MBA program at the University of Denver said in a New York Times interview: “Its interesting that hard skills are considered better than soft, but when people

52、go into management, its the soft skills thatmake the difference in career success.”,44,54,LETTUCE AMUSE U,In California, first-time traffic offenders can go to traffic school rather than having a ticket go on their permanent record. In designing traffic schools, Ray and Linda Regan had less success

53、in traditional schools than in funny schools.,44,55,The humor in the funny traffic schools is always “on task.” One instructor said that an extra reason for keeping a child safe in a backward-facing car seat is “If you get rear-ended, youve got a witness.” Another instructor said that most car accid

54、ents happen within 10 miles from home and then says, “The last time I mentioned that, a guy jumped up in the back of the class and said, Thats it. Im moving!”,44,56,HUMOR IN ADVERTISING,In Funny Business: Humour, Management and Business Culture, Jean-Louis Barsoux said that there are similarities be

55、tween good humor and good advertising copy: 1. They require brevity 2. They open peoples minds to enable them to have a new viewpoint. 3. People get involved in processing the message, and therefore remember it longer.,44,57,A HUMOROUS AD,Volkswagon successfully introduced the VW Rabbit into the Uni

56、ted States with a 10-second commercial. It showed two rabbits looking into the camera, with one of them saying, “In 1956 there were only two VWs in America.”,44,58,44,59,THE LAWS OF BUSINESS,MURPHYS LAW: “If anything can go wrong, it will,” extended to “When left to themselves, things always go from

57、 bad to worse,” and “If anything can go wrong, it will, and even if it cant it might.” OTOOLES LAW: “Murphy was an optimist.” DAMON RUNYANS LAW: “In all human affairs, the odds are always six to five against.”,44,60,THE PETER PRINCIPLE: “Each employee tends to rise to their level of incompetence.” P

58、ETERS COROLARY PRINCIPLE: “When people are doing well they will be promoted, which means that everyone not upwardly mobile is incompetent.” MARSHALLS GENERALIZED ICEBERG THEOREM: “Seven-eights of everything cant be seen.” PAUL HERBIGS PRINCIPLE OF BUREAUCRATIC TINKERTOYS: “If it can be understood, i

59、ts not yet finished.”,44,61,THE FINAL RULES OF BUSINESS,RULE NUMBER 1: “The boss is always right.” RULE NUMBER 2: “If the boss is wrong, see Rule Number 1.”,44,62,Business Humor Web Sites,ADBUSTERS SPOOF ADS: /gallery/spoofads BURGER KING AD: EAT LIKE SNAKE: BUSINESS-HUMOR FUSION (ROZ TRIEBER): CHEERS: DILBERT: ,DIRECT TV AD (CHRIS FARLEY & DAVID SPADE): FRASIER: THE GREATEST BUSINESS LINKS: THE HAPPINESS MACHINE: HOME IMPROVEMENT: ,44,64,HUMOR AT WORK (CLYDE FAHLMAN): HUMORWORKS (JOHN MORREALL): JUST SHOOT ME: THE KING OF QUEENS: THE OFFICE: OLD SPICE A