They announced that Ed McMahon died today.

Unless you’re over the age of 40, you remember Ed (IF you remember Ed) as a one-note joke, one of the over-the-hill Publisher’s Clearing House pitchmen. Or perhaps as a news item, last year, when he was losing his palatial home.

If you’re over 40, you remember him as Johnny Carson’s (pictured left, with McMahon) second banana, a fixture on the Tonight Show, or perhaps as the host of a pre-Simon Cowell talent show.

McMahon was one of those guys who was famous for being famous. In thinking back on his career, he was just sort of always there…like wallpaper, he never seemed to NOT be there. Until he – and Carson – were gone. But just because McMahon was famous for being famous, does not mean he was not a valuable asset to Carson, or didn’t have talent on his own.

I believe his talent was in being…um…wallpaper. Let me explain.

When you have someone who is funny (Carson), without a frame of reference, you lose sight of what’s funny and what’s…normal. If everything that comes out of your mouth is a one-liner, sarcasm, punny, or some other off-kilter remark, you need something that stands out in stark contrast, so that the audience can appreciate the hyperbole.

Throughout McMahon’s career, that’s exactly what he did. Think of him as the reliable sidekick, audio tape bias, background, or whatever, but that’s what he brought to the party. Without a “Mr. Average” McMahon, Carson’s humor wouldn’t have been nearly as funny, because we would have lost perspective on his humor. The talent on Star Search wouldn’t have been as remarkable, without an average guy like McMahon around for perspective. The reactions of the winners of the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes would have looked a lot less out-sized and a lot more normal, without McMahon.

From a marketing perspective, McMahon was at first, a reliable icon. Only later did he become a parody of himself. But that’s the price you often pay for the “famous for being famous” schtick. (Paris Hilton, take note.)

So, farewell, Ed. I doubt you were appreciated in life any more than beige paint is appreciated by most homeowners, but without you, we wouldn’t have been able to appreciate all the stuff for which you provided perspective. Rest in Peace.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 at 9:32 am and is filed under marketing, media.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.