Comedians might be better strategists than strategists

Coming up with an effective insight for something as ubiquitous (and old) as toothpaste or bread usually begins with me banging my head against my desk, conceding that it’s all been done before. “In 2015, there are no new insights for this product!”

 To stop my wallowing I take a second to consider the stand-up comedian – the rare species that can take an age-old topic and still unearth an insight that connects with people.

Don’t believe me? Take the topic of sex – it’s been around since day 1, and storytellers since then have told every point of view on it. It’s been done to death. Yet year after year, I see a stand-up comedian take a step to the left, and look at that same topic from a new perspective. From this new perspective they share an insight that may have been there in front of us for decades or even millennia, which no one else has commented on. That’s pretty impressive. And that’s what stops me from complaining. If they can find a new point of view on something that’s been done to death, so can I. 

Unearthing insights isn’t the only thing that comedians can school us on…

Persuasion – The strategist lives and breathes persuasion. First by creating a strategy that persuades a certain audience, then persuading the client to buy off on it, then persuading the creative team to explore it – instead of ignore it. As for comedians? They can pretty much persuade you of anything. Even when you have an opposing viewpoint, you can’t help but laugh – and that’s when they’ve got you. I’ve seen Chris Rock make a case for why bullying is good, and Bill Burr walk people through why steroid use should be legal for athletes. By pulling the right levers of emotion, rationale, and humour, they can slowly walk you through their thinking, leaving you laughing and partially agreeing with a radical idea. 

Commanding a room - I’ve always wanted to command a room. I don’t mean to just present – I’m talking about really owning the room for a presentation. You know who has more skill than a comedian at commanding a room? Nobody. Zero. For most jobs out there, when you talk, people respectfully listen. Comedians on the other hand – they have only their voice to keep hundreds of people entertained. No visual aids to lean on; no Creative Director to pepper in. If they can’t hold attention, people walk out, start conversations, or even heckle. Think about that the next time you’re concerned about presenting to 10 clients. 

When you stand back and look at the broad strokes of a comedian's role and a strategist's role, it’s clear that there are many similarities. It’s also clear that they’ve had a tougher road to climb in their career than we have in ours. Maybe one-day agencies and clients will realize that – and just swap out strategists for comedians.

The Account Planning Group of Canada is putting on an event next week where two comedians will share their secrets. I hope to learn a lot from them. But more than that, I hope to deter them from taking our jobs. I’ll remind them that they can’t insult the clients, even when they heckle.

If you're interested in attending...