You’re kidding, right?

- Not really.

And I’m not talking about anything resembling the “two surgeons walk into a bar” type humor, either. But, as health care marketing has matured over the past, let’s say, 30 years, the avenues where humor might be considered have gradually expanded.

Of course, in that vast universe of non-health care marketing, humor has become almost as much a part of the landscape as jump-cuts, akimbo camera angles and speed-read disclaimers.

With health care, as one might expect, the further you remain from real threat to life—physician referral, walk-in urgent care, birthing, minor surgery, wellness—the less likely that humor will run you afoul of good taste, broad appeal and the mythical iron fists of church ladies everywhere.

The use of humor, tastefully, requires context—time to “set up” the situation, deliver the payoff and relate it directly to the product or service being touted. Kind of counter to “write short, cut quick and get the heck out of the way.”

It’s why award winning radio based on humor is, almost exclusively, 60 seconds long, rather than the more common conventional radio :30. (Rules and exceptions thereof notwithstanding, legalistically speaking.)

Generally, the rule-of-thumb remains: Advertising implicitly asks for time from a consumer’s busy life to listen. If a message gives us pause as potentially distasteful to a substantial portion of the community and its social mores, then probably better too dislodge tongue from cheek and find another voice.

(Doug Cook)