Hi, BL. Cute blog here. I love the message to lighten up. I've been espousing the use of humor for a long time - if it fits with the product or service. It can be a challenge, however, for the very serious-minded bosses who are very apprehensive to try something different for fear of offending their audiences.

Of course it has to be appropriate, that goes without saying.

But lightening up does not necessarily mean using humor. There's a difference between fun and humor, although fun is often funny.

Last week, Psoriasis Cure Now launched a contest (http://www.whatsnextblog.com/archives/2007/07/how_to_marketing_something_that_cant_get_no_respect.asp) offering a prize for the best video telling how to educate the public about the disease.

They're not asking you to laugh at a serious autoimmune disease that can make life miserable, they're asking you to get involved and have a little fun while you do it.

That's lightening up from the usual approach to medical information, and I seriously doubt it will offend anyone.

It's the "very serious-minded bosses who are very apprehensive to try something different for fear of offending their audiences" who would probably benefit most from thinking outside the box for a change.

I don't think this is going to teach anyone to think outside of the box, I think "I Can Has Cheeseburger" teaches us that despite our best efforts to teach, interest, inform, motivate, raise the bar and bravely march into the future there is still a market for tacky rubbish.