October 20, 2010

Comedy based on parody or sardonic humor can be quite entertaining. A friend was telling me of a comedy troupe that did an entire segment elucidating how dynamic a certain swear word could be. It could be used as a noun, verb, adjective…and so on. Though the content would be quite crude, the idea is humorous and oddly true. Another example is of the comparison of skunk smell being the base of a sensual fragrance. It actually made for a fairly decent routine, mostly because it played on the peculiar tastes people can develop. But it’s true of people as well.

If you watch closely, some individuals smell fry sauce as if its perfume fragrance will take them into a realm of heady enjoyment. Smell is supposed to affect a persons sense of taste dramatically, but there is something more when you see them relish its sensual fragrance and then heave a sigh as it is consumed. Such quirks are fantastic material for parody and the human race has unlimited material available for the quick-witted and observant. Most people are aware of at least one or two quirks like this, which makes it prime content. In order to really get an audience involved, you have to choose content they can relate to and identify as humorous in their own lives as well. If you hit that personal element, they will remember the laughter every time they enjoy their unique tastes.

When designing products intended to ship nationwide, there are a lot of different terrain considerations that engineers have to accommodate. For example, many strollers have wheels with traction control similar to mountain bike designs. A New Yorker could find the wheels monstrously funny when coasting down nicely paved sidewalks whereas a soccer mom walking past an Austin roofing job is probably grateful the wheels roll over the shingles easily. A grandma in the middle of Wyoming may also find the traction necessary when walking along a dirt road and boardwalk strollers in California would probably love it.

There are other things to consider as well. For example, dog owners in Alaska would probably love metal roofing on their dog houses to draw in the heat, but in Round Rock Texas, metal roofing could almost be considered inhumane with the intense summer heat. Instead, you end up with a compromise on insulated plastic that functions in both environments. Fortunately people don’t always take time to consider the extra functions. Even if they did, most probably wouldn’t take issue with the design. We can probably thank advertising for that. Instead, they’re added bonus features and great assets if you ever visit places with foreign terrain.