Normally, in the early stages of campaign planning, one of the first key steps is to identify a target audience. From small events to national launches, any good campaign has an idea early of who they’re talking to. But, beyond the target audience, one viral idea offers another key demographic to bounce ideas off of: Drunk grandmas. And although it sounds silly, there is some merit to this thought. Recently, on TikTok, user Graydon Lawson (Graydon’s Digital Marketing) has gone viral with this very idea, posting about the “Drunk Grandma Marketing Trick” for the first time on September 10 and receiving almost 34,000 likes and 293,000 views to date.
“Sometimes, you just gotta pretend you’re a drunk grandma,” Lawson opens with in the video. “Every time you edit your website or an ad, think to yourself: Would a drunk grandma understand this?”
Lawson then points out an example of this theory in action with a graphic discussing Apple’s iPod versus a competitor. According to him, audiences can comprehend the message on the right much more easily than the competitor’s message, and it’s evident that the technical terminology of the storage might be too much to comprehend at first glance, but the “1,000 songs” are easily digestible. This matters to all communicators because, ideally, the more efficient your message is, the less brainpower it will take your audience to comprehend and digest before they adopt your products or services and buy into your message.
The viral video concludes with Lawson telling the audience, “If drunk grandma does not understand, help her out – Simplify it.”
It’s certainly silly in its delivery, but the messaging behind this trick is spot on. In any media work that’s done – advertising, public relations, graphic design, web design, videography, etc. – the message should be clear and concise, both in copy and in design. Take Martin Hall Agency and our work as an example: If our wonderful client, Sunset Berry Farm, tasked us with print advertisements for the upcoming berry season, would a poster read better with the farm’s entire product offerings, or imagery of berries and the tagline “Farm, Fresh, Fun?”
By keeping this idea at the forefront during the creation of your deliverables, you increase the likelihood that your target audience will understand and comprehend your message, ultimately leading to the greatest chance of a successful execution. When in doubt, let the drunk grandmas help you figure it out!
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