Is your brand using humour effectively?

Today humour isn’t just a ‘nice to have’ in a marketing toolkit – it’s a must-have if you want to connect with audiences.

And guess what? This holds true no matter what category your brand falls into.

Although I do wish HR would stop with those memes!

Seriously, whether you’re selling cookies or cloud computing, a little laughter is the secret sauce that turns your brand from “meh” to “OMG, did you see that?!”

A recent report found that a whopping 75% of people would follow a brand if it’s funny on social media*.

That’s right – 3 out of 4 folks basically begging you to crack a joke.

And why wouldn’t they?

The last few years have been, well, let’s just say… not the greatest.

Pandemic? Check. Lockdown? Check. War, recession, layoffs? Triple check.

Humour has become our collective coping mechanism.

And brands that tap into this are winning hearts – and wallets.

Yet, only 15% of business leaders say their brand is humorous on socials*.

Why? The reasons – or excuses – range from:

“We’re a serious category” to “We may offend someone”.

If you’re not using humour because you’re scared of offending someone, you’re probably not using humour right.

Here’s what humor can do for your brand:

1. Standout communication. Humor cuts through the clutter. It’s the antidote to the digital noise we’re all drowning in. It also makes your communication memorable
2. Likability & Shareability. People share what makes them laugh. It’s that simple. If your brand makes them giggle, they’re more likely to like it, share it, and yeah, buy from it
3. Firewall buster. Consumers are getting better at blocking out ads. Humor is the Trojan horse that gets past those defenses

Look at some of the brands acing humor:

Bingo with its quirky characters, ads and Boing! They’ve turned potato chips into a comedy show.

Ryan Reynolds’ has practically built an empire on humor. Aviation Gin, Mint Mobile and Wrexham’s FC and a Marketing Agency for others

Liquid Death, who knew water could be this funny?

Apple with its super fun Underdogs series on everything from Work from Home to Work from Anywhere.

Blinkit’s witty notifications and year-end data recaps, a masterclass in micro-humor.

Spotify’s dialogue less IPL films, genius! They’ve let music do the talking and humor do the selling.

Bold Care with Ranveer Singh and Adult Film Star Johnny Sins.

Maruti made a movie out of it with Mere Dad ki Maruti!

Cred used it with a bunch of vintage celebrities in outrageous ads.

And even categories like Life Insurance with Acko.

And McKinsey’s newsletters use it to great effect.

But a word of caution:

Humor comes in all shapes and sizes.

From slapstick to smart, dialogue-based wit.

But people are quick to take offense.

And when they do, it’s usually not pretty.

Self-deprecatory humor is often a safe bet, but many brands shy away from it. You know, because ego.

If you’re going to throw some punches, aim them upwards. Punching down is a one-way ticket to social media backlash.

So, 3 takeaways:

1. The way to a consumer’s heart – and wallet – is often through his stomach. Make it jiggle with laughter. Use humor.
2. Ride the pop culture wave. Memes, GIFs, trending topics are your new best friends. Get creative, get relevant, and get funny.
3. But keep it clean, keep it on brand. Humor should never stray too far away from your brand’s core message. Tie in with your core audience, your core proposition. And when in doubt, punch up, not down.

Brands that can bring a smile to consumers’ faces, are often the ones that build strong relationships and funny often sees the money.

So, gear up your brands, and your best jokes… it’s Open Mic time!

Ashiish V Patil is writer-producer-director and proud autism dad. He’s the ex-CEO of MTV India; former Head of Youth Films, Talent Management, Brand Partnerships and Digital Originals at Yash Raj Films and now runs a content hotshop called Isspeshal. Ashiish is also the author of two bestsellers, including ‘Branded Content Boss’. 

*Source: Oracle surveyed 12,000 consumers and business leaders in 2023.