{"id":3579,"date":"2009-01-20T13:29:07","date_gmt":"2009-01-20T13:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.corporate-eye.com\/?p=3579"},"modified":"2009-01-19T13:34:58","modified_gmt":"2009-01-19T13:34:58","slug":"brand-compliance-funny-brand-serious-subject","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.corporate-eye.com\/main\/brand-compliance-funny-brand-serious-subject\/","title":{"rendered":"Funny Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s actually a good story about how I came upon today\u2019s topic, but I\u2019m going to save it for another post. (Just remember \u201cCompany A.\u201d) For now, I want to zip right on to the silly stuff!<\/p>\n

Or let\u2019s put it this way: Given the proposition that recruiting should express a company\u2019s personality\u2014how do you deal with a corporate image that\u2019s quirky, or even downright comical? Should you embrace the humor, play it straight, or go somewhere in between?<\/p>\n

(And in case you\u2019re thinking \u201cif only that were my problem,\u201d don\u2019t stop reading. There are some lessons here for seriously dull businesses as well.)<\/p>\n

\"Jack\"<\/a><\/div>\n

Let\u2019s start by looking at two companies that put a lot of money into making people laugh at their brands. Ask most people for one word about Jack in the Box<\/a> commercials, and the answer will be \u201cfunny.\u201d Same thing for Geico<\/a>. When job-seekers go to those company sites, they take the humor association right along with them\u2014and it may be a bit of a turn-off if they find an impersonal, unfunny page. <\/p>\n

But neither company is recruiting for comic talent, and job-hunting is not by nature a humorous topic. So the key would be to bring the brand together with the mission. Enough Jack, but not too much. Just a touch of Gecko. And the balance needs to fit the business.<\/p>\n

For the sake of full disclosure I\u2019d better report at this point that I\u2019m in the tank for Jack. If he\u2019s on TV, I stop to watch, and I never get tired of analyzing the really great Jack moments. (Hint: It\u2019s all about the mouth.) So I\u2019m happy to report that Jack hits the mark on recruiting<\/a>, with a site that perfectly captures \u201chis\u201d personality through conversational text and iconic illustrations.<\/p>\n

\"jack-topper\"<\/div>\n

Three things to notice: First, attention to detail. For example . . . in some browsers, when you hover on a navigation tab, a Jack antenna-topper pops up above the tab and starts turning his head back and forth. Yes, really! (All across JITB messaging, details sustain the illusion that Jack\u2019s world is an actual place, which is a large part of what makes it all so funny.)<\/p>\n

Second, appropriate balance. The \u201cWhy Jack\u201d page is LOL funny–I\u2019ve read it about five times now\u2014but it also delivers some solid points. The trick is skillful comic writing that combines tongue-in-cheek delivery (\u201cThis is the big time.\u201d) with substantive messaging (\u201cfrom the first breakfast sandwich to the first portable salad to the most innovative food safety advancements in the industry\u201d). <\/p>\n

The \u201cFAQ,\u201d \u201cBenefits,\u201d and \u201cRoles at Jack\u201d pages are written in a crisp, direct style that signals serious business, but each one has a Jack photo, so everything fits together. And notice that every photo on the site neatly fits its page, to reinforce the key message. So Jack\u2019s a high-flying executive on the \u201cRoles\u201d page (read: road to success), but on the \u201cBenefits\u201d page, he\u2019s fly-fishing (read: quality of life). <\/p>\n

Finally, the third thing. As they say in show biz, if you want to get around an inconvenient or unlikely plot point, \u201chang a lantern on it.\u201d So JITB gives the Careers section a special header: Jobs. This is where Jack in the Box gets serious. And that neatly resolves the dissonance problem.<\/p>\n

\"Geico\"<\/a><\/div>\n

All right\u2014now what about the Gecko? Over at Geico, they have a different set of constraints than JITB, since you just can\u2019t be as playful about car insurance as you can about fast food. So the site itself is stick-straight. But on the landing page\u2014exactly in the very center\u2014there he is<\/a>. And wouldn\u2019t you have been disappointed otherwise? <\/p>\n

Some takeaways for the rest of us:<\/p>\n