Comedy is Back in the Building – ITV | Clapboard Ad Archive

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Comedy is Back in the Building - ITV | Clapboard Ad Archive

Comedy is Back in the Building is a distinctive campaign from ITV Creative promoting ITVX, the streaming platform's new season of exclusive comedies. This initiative cleverly showcases talent from notable ITVX series, including Katherine Parkinson and Youssef Kerkour from Significant Other, Arian Nik from Count Abdulla, Jayde Adams from Ruby Speaking, and Alan Carr from Changing Ends. Directed with a unique touch, the ads present an absurdist twist on mundane office life by incorporating high-end clowns as ordinary coworkers, allowing humor to emerge organically rather than through forced punchlines. Each of the campaign's seven spots, including Bathroom, Banana Skins, Stand Up Desk, Hanky, and IT Support, brings to life relatable workplace scenarios infused with surreal clown antics, effectively highlighting the richness of ITVX’s comedy offerings. By juxtaposing the absurdity of clowns with familiar office settings, the campaign embodies a style of British humor that values authenticity and subtlety, a point emphasized by the creative team’s intention to honor the unique rhythms of the genre. Jane Stiller, ITV’s Chief Marketing Officer, noted the importance of creating memorable content that resonates with viewers while showcasing the breadth of ITVX’s comedy portfolio, which aims to position the platform as a go-to destination for high-quality comedic content. The campaign's strategic use of humor and relatable settings aligns with current audience preferences for intelligent, grounded comedy, distinguishing ITVX from more conventional streaming promotions. What Clapboard's taxonomy would classify as FORMAT#9—Symbolize the Benefit—effectively employs literal clowns to visually represent the abundance of comedy available on ITVX, transforming the benefit of increased comedic content into a memorable symbol. Clapboard rates this 67/100 in Clapboard's global creative archive. This campaign illustrates the potential for humor to thrive within the everyday, reflecting a broader trend in advertising that embraces the absurdities of modern life.

Credits

Client

ITV

Agency

ITV Creative, ITV CREATIVE

Marketing Lead

SIMON RICKS

Marketing Manager

HANNAH COSTELLO

Crew

KATIE BURROW, JILL, SAM DAWKING, HANNAH EDWARDS

Creative Director

CHRIS VERNON, MATTHEW LEG

Producer

LUKE FRASER, JACKI CALLEIRO, EWEN BROWN

Account Management

MIKE JOHNSON

Production House

EPOCH FILMS UK LTD.

Cinematographer

MOTT HUPFEL

Art Director

OLLY WILLIAMS

Category Mind Map

48%

The "Comedy is Back in the Building" campaign by ITV promotes ITVX as a destination for fresh, high-quality comedy content, positioning the streaming platform as a hub where humor is thoughtfully crafted and readily accessible. The campaign leverages a unique brand proposition centered on the revival and celebration of comedy, emphasizing authenticity and understated humor that resonates with viewers seeking intelligent, relatable entertainment. By showcasing talent from ITVX’s exclusive comedy lineup and embracing a distinct British comedic style, the campaign reinforces ITVX’s role as a key player in delivering innovative and original comedic narratives. Strategically, the campaign employs a subtle, absurdist creative angle—integrating clowns into mundane office scenarios—that invites viewers to engage with comedy in an everyday context, allowing humor to emerge organically rather than through overt punchlines. This approach aligns with the insight that contemporary audiences appreciate humor grounded in realism and relatable settings, distinguishing ITVX’s content from more conventional or exaggerated comedic advertisements. Targeting a discerning audience familiar with British humor, the campaign focuses on naturalistic performances and a restrained comedic rhythm, facilitated by directors known for their nuanced style. This combination of targeted casting, tone, and scenario appeals to viewers who value wit and authenticity in comedy, while also highlighting ITVX’s expanding portfolio of original shows. Overall, the campaign’s creative and market strategies seek to deepen viewer recognition of ITVX as a premier streaming service for sophisticated and fresh comedic content.

FORMAT#9 SYMBOLIZE THE BENEFIT — Uses symbols or exaggerated visuals to represent the product’s positive impact. This campaign uses literal clowns in an office setting—a vivid, inherently comedic symbol—to represent the return and abundance of comedy on ITVX. Rather than stating or directly showing the streaming features, each spot exaggerates ordinary office scenarios by injecting absurd clown behaviors, which metaphorically signal a workplace transformed by laughter. The surreal clowns act as an entertaining shorthand for the platform's richer comedy offerings, turning the benefit (more comedy available) into a visual, memorable symbol. ADVERTISING FORMATS EXPLAINED: https://www.clapboard.com/blog/branding-and-advertising/brand-strategy/12-advertising-creative-formats

1. Netflix – Market Positioning Netflix positions itself as the pioneer and leader in global streaming with a vast, diverse content library featuring original programming across all genres. It differentiates through data-driven content creation, user personalization algorithms, and a strong emphasis on original global productions, appealing to broad and niche audiences alike. 2. Amazon Prime Video – Market Positioning Amazon Prime Video leverages its integration within the Amazon ecosystem to offer streaming alongside added-value services like fast shipping and exclusive deals. It differentiates by combining a mix of licensed content, original productions, and live sports, targeting consumers seeking versatile entertainment within a bundled membership experience. 3. Hulu – Market Positioning Hulu focuses on next-day access to current TV episodes and a strong lineup of original content, emphasizing convenience and timeliness. It differentiates itself by blending on-demand streaming with live TV options, catering to viewers wanting both traditional broadcast content and original series in one platform. 4. HBO Max – Market Positioning HBO Max capitalizes on the premium, critically acclaimed content associated with HBO, combining blockbuster movies, prestige originals, and classic WarnerMedia catalog titles. Its positioning centers around high-quality storytelling and exclusivity, attracting viewers seeking premium, cinematic experiences and culturally significant series. 5. Peacock – Market Positioning Peacock offers a hybrid business model with a free ad-supported tier and premium subscription, leveraging NBCUniversal’s extensive TV and sports content. Its strategic angle is wide accessibility combined with exclusive live events and nostalgic programming, appealing to cost-conscious viewers who value variety and live content availability.

Q: What is Comedy is Back in the Building about? A: Comedy is Back in the Building is a 2023 campaign created by ITV Creative for ITV’s streaming platform ITVX, launched in the United States to promote a new season of exclusive comedies. The campaign features actors from ITVX original shows such as Katherine Parkinson, Youssef Kerkour, Arian Nik, Jayde Adams, and Alan Carr. Directed by Phil Morrison and Joe Ventura, collectively known as JILL, the campaign uses a series of humorous commercials set in an office where clowns behave like ordinary coworkers. This absurd yet naturalistic approach highlights ITVX’s fresh comedy offerings with a distinctly British comedic style. Q: What creative device does Comedy is Back in the Building use? A: Comedy is Back in the Building employs FORMAT#9 SYMBOLIZE THE BENEFIT from Clapboard’s 12-format taxonomy, using literal clowns in an office setting as a vivid and inherently comedic symbol. This creative device exaggerates ordinary workplace scenarios by integrating surreal clown behaviors, visually representing the return and abundance of comedy on ITVX. Instead of explicitly showcasing streaming features, the campaign turns the benefit of more comedy into a memorable, symbolic shorthand that transforms the office environment into a metaphor for laughter and entertainment. Q: What is the campaign proposition for Comedy is Back in the Building? A: The campaign positions ITVX as a premier destination for fresh, high-quality comedy content by emphasizing the revival and celebration of comedy through authentic, understated humor. It targets viewers who appreciate intelligent, relatable entertainment and showcases talent from ITVX’s exclusive comedy lineup. By adopting a subtle, absurdist creative angle rooted in British humor and naturalistic performances, the campaign distinguishes ITVX in the streaming market as a hub for sophisticated and original comedic narratives that resonate with discerning audiences. Q: How does Comedy is Back in the Building rank in Clapboard's archive? A: Comedy is Back in the Building holds a Clapboard Campaign Score of 67/100. This score reflects the campaign’s creative ambition, execution quality, and cultural relevance as assessed by Clapboard’s global ad archive. The rating indicates the campaign’s effectiveness in combining humor with strategic storytelling and its contribution to ITVX’s brand positioning within the competitive streaming landscape. Q: Who are the competitors in ITV's category? A: ITV competes with major streaming platforms including Netflix, which leads with a vast and diverse content library driven by data and original global productions; Amazon Prime Video, which integrates streaming with added-value services like fast shipping and exclusive deals; Hulu, known for next-day access to current TV episodes combined with live TV options; HBO Max, which focuses on premium, critically acclaimed content and cinematic storytelling; and Peacock, offering a hybrid free ad-supported tier alongside premium subscriptions, leveraging NBCUniversal’s extensive TV and sports content to appeal to cost-conscious viewers seeking variety and live events.