Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit. It relies on an exaggerated tone of voice to convey that you mean the opposite of what you’re saying. Sarcasm assumes “zero intelligence”, which is why it is the “comic” device of choice for dumb people. It flatters no-one. But it’s even less flattering when it doesn’t credit the audience with the intelligence to see that it is, in fact, sarcasm. Enter Tui.
Tui are clearly not banking on the collective intellect of their drinking public. While pure sarcasm assumes that one's audience has the brains to “get it”, Tui billboards don’t. Their bitey “Yeah Right” end note makes the assumption that the Tui audience need to be told: “sarcasm lives here”. They need the joke explained These billboards are almost as bitter as the beer they sell. They want you to sneer not to smile. Laugh at a Tui billboard and the jokes on you.
Sadly, Tui may well have judged its audience bang on. I recently wrote a blurb for a company profile, many a Tui drinker among them. I mentioned in the piece that “the owners brought the company to life”. “Oh no!” they informed me earnestly, “they didn’t buy the company, they started it up themselves.”
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