Comedic folklore pertains to 'commit to the bit'. John Cleese suggests Monty Python's successful formula was down to taking absurd concepts incredibly seriously. Conan O'Brien has spoken about the importance of following through with seemingly ridiculous ideas while Tina Fey advises against dismissing dumb ideas too quickly, as they can evolve into brilliance.
This advice is not just for comedy; it’s a beacon for the creative process. Take dumb ideas seriously, commit to them fully and watch them fly.
Diamond Shreddies is a shining example of committing to a seemingly dumb idea with the utmost seriousness. Kraft Foods faced the challenge of returning Shreddies to the top of the breakfast market. A USP-lite brief with no new news, no new message was a brief with nothing to go on. Enter Hunter Somerville, a 26-year-old intern with a flash of easily dismissible dumb brilliance: Shreddies weren’t square, they were diamonds.
The team embraced the idea wholeheartedly. Diamond Shreddies were born and the launch was treated as seriously as any new product, with new packaging, testimonial television commercials, radio ads and in store sampling. Consumers had the option of choosing between the two shapes —traditional or diamond— both of which were, in fact, the exact same product. There was even a “Combo Pack” that contained both versions. This dumb idea had a serious impact with market share increasing by 18% during the first month alone. Take that chin stroker. Up the dumb.
More recently the team at Ogilvy took a dumb idea seriously and turned it into a social media and Super Bowl sensation. Together with the team at L'Oreal they committed to the idea that Micheal Cera put the Cera in CeraVe. They tipped off the paparazzi and fanned the flames till it spread like wildfire across the internet before doubling down with a blockbuster Super Bowl spot that concluded this dumb as they come narrative. Mort à les purposeful platitudes. Vive Le Dumb!
Eugene Healey of the University of Melbourne argues that this swing toward 'dumb' is due to people becoming bored with copycat self-important brand narratives where every brand is claiming to be authentic, real or human. People are rejecting sincerity and craving chaos. Eugene labels it "Consistent Chaos' and cites KFC as the ultimate example with strong brand cues baked into consistently dumb and consistently fun executions from meteor rock zingers to bucket hat collabs and fried chicken prom corsages
Good Fortune Burger took a dumb concept to e-commerce by committing to rename every menu item on its UberEats as office supplies, allowing customers to expense their food orders as business costs. Their Fortune Burger became the "Basic Steel Stapler," fries turned into the "CPU Wireless Mouse," and the Double Your Fortune Burger was rebranded as the "Ergonomic Aluminium Laptop Stand." This dumb promotion went viral, and Toronto witnessed an unprecedented number of laptop stands being expensed in one week.
In architecture, Dutch designer Robin Stam executed a seemingly dumb idea that resolved a longstanding continental dispute. In 2002, Euro notes featured fictional bridges to avoid favouring any nation's landmarks. Ten years later, Stam and his friends decided to bring these fictional bridges to life. Convincing the local authority in his Dutch hometown to make them for real. The bridges became beloved cultural landmarks with locals now giving directions based on monetary values such as "take a left over the twenty and head straight over the fifty."
Leave sincerity behind. Take the stupid seriously. Commit to the dumb, and people will join you for the ride to unimaginable heights.