Does Humor Really Enhance Marketing And Help Brands Sell: Is This A Joke?

Can you think of a time when you were chatting with your group of friends, cracking jokes, having a great time, and then all of a sudden an idea strikes – a business idea? Most often, some of the best ideas come as jokes, so it is important to make your thinking as funny as possible. A fine example of this would be “Angry Birds” – a highly successful app that has not just garnered millions of downloads but was also made into a Hollywood movie that became a roaring success worldwide.

Would you believe it if I told you that Rovio Entertainment, the studio that developed the concept of “Angry Birds,” got the idea from a funny screenshot they saw online of a bird that seemed to look mad or angry about something? They decided to work on it as they thought that the concept was so hilarious.

They weren’t doing any kind of research. They were just having a fun time with friends, looking at funny images, something that most of us do during our leisure time as well – and BAM, they get an idea of something that became a global phenomenon.

While running a business, it is important for business owners and marketers to keep up with evolving consumer expectations, which can be achieved by utilizing the power of humor that can make consumers laugh – and happy consumers means increased sales.

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Why You Should Use Humor in Advertising? One main reason why humor is often used in advertising is that it grabs our attention – consumers enjoy humor, increasing the chances of them remembering the product or service in the future.

Humor can elicit emotions like laughter and joy – a positive response that indicates the consumer has developed a good impression not only of the commercial but of the product as well. Humor plays a crucial role in connecting consumers with your brand.

Sometimes, a product may seem dull on paper, or it could be a niche product that may appeal only to a limited audience. A creative, funny commercial or product ad campaign can increase brand awareness. Such commercials can become viral as consumers, in all likelihood, will share such ads with their friends, relatives, and colleagues.

Remember, smiles and laughter have become crucial to building businesses and developing good customer relationships. If your potential customers are not smiling, it means they are not interested in what you have to offer and will most definitely walk away.

Here are some approaches that will help you make a better connection with your potential customers:

#1. Know Your Audience

Remember, comedy and humor are subjective. What’s funny to someone might be derogatory or insulting to someone else. There are very few jokes that are universal. Everyone may not find a joke to be funny – it may appeal only to certain people. So, it is important to know your target audience.

It is important to do a lot of research work to understand your target audience well – their likes and dislikes. This is essential to have your message (that is, your joke) received in the way that is intended. You should also keep track of trends and cues that interests your prospects and can be applied to your brand as well.

Do not take inspiration from the wrong places. You should be careful about controversial topics and language and it is a smart option to leave them in the stand-up comedy clubs. There are certain basic rules and ethics you need to stick to while incorporating humor in your ad campaigns. Humor can be a powerful tool for advertising; however, you need to be sensible as sensitive jokes can be dangerous for your business. It can gain attention for your brand – unfortunately, it may not be the type of attention you are looking for.

We’re not saying that you can never be edgy, if it suits your brand image – and controversy is certainly a way to get a news cycle. But be prepared that this should be done well, or else the harm can outweigh the benefit.

#2. Keep It Simple and Try to Be Relatable

When you use special words or expressions, you are going to lose the interest of a large chunk of the audience. You need to keep your ad simple to connect with the masses. Unless your product is built for a specific audience or professionals like doctors, scientists, lawyers, and so on, you should avoid using jargon as it can confuse your audience. Your audience should laugh the moment they see your ad. However, if they don’t get it and the ad needs to be explained to make them understand and laugh, sadly it’s neither funny nor effective.

Another important aspect is to ensure that people are able to relate to your ad. And the best way to do so is by creating funny ads based on real-life experiences or common occurrences in day-to-day life. Poking fun at yourself is another effective way of connecting with your audience. Taking a step back with self-deprecating humor shows your level of modesty and humbleness – and these are some traits that can make people connect with your brand.

#3. Create New Memes or Use Popular Ones

Quality content is crucial for increasing traffic and memes can be a great way to add humor to your content and ad campaigns and make them interesting, especially if your business targets the younger generation. Over the years, many businesses have started using them as they are cost-effective, easy to use, and most importantly the general public is absolutely fascinated by memes.

There are various meme-creation tools that you can use to create your own memes. Some businesses prefer creating ads by modifying popular memes to suit their brand’s message, culture, and product or service.

#4. Explore New Angles of Humor – But Keep Your Message Relevant to Your Brand

Some jokes don’t age well. It may seem funny initially; however, after a point in time, people may get exhausted and not find it funny anymore. It is important to observe people’s reactions to know when you should stop pushing your ads. Do not restrict yourself, instead, try to explore new angles of humor regularly.

In your attempt to try something different, do not deviate from the concept of your brand. The message that you are trying to convey from your funny commercial should be relevant to your brand. Regardless of how funny your ad is, it may still not succeed in making everyone laugh. Remember, some of the most popular sitcoms that found huge success globally have received mixed reviews from some critics and audiences alike. Humor is subjective.

Your aim is not to make everyone laugh, instead focus on finding out what would make your target audience laugh. The whole point of your product ad is to engage with your specific target audience.

Some of The Best Examples of Humor in Advertising

“Angry Birds” is one great example and we’ve already seen that in this post. Let’s look at a few other examples.

A perfect example of how a brand can achieve success when they develop a product with the exact target audience in mind. Old Spice is a globally renowned cosmetics brand that sells only men’s products, including deodorants, body sprays, hair and beard care, and more. Their ads were a huge success because they were funny and also because the plot was centered on some common problems that men could relate to.

“The stupidest idea ever heard of.” No, we are not saying this. This was said by the founder’s (Alex Craig’s) girlfriend. This business venture provides a service that allows people to mail a potato with a custom message printed on it to their relatives, friends, and colleagues. Despite its humongous success, even today people refer to this venture as “A crazy idea that worked”.

The success of “Potato Parcel” proved that every business idea need not be a high-tech one. You don’t have to always play by the rule book. Sometimes, it’s all about having a strong conviction and going by your intuition.

Their funny ads were something that everyone could relate to. The basic idea of their ad was that you become a totally different person when you are hungry. This clicked with the audience as it’s completely relatable. Most of us can’t tolerate hunger and start behaving weirdly. Snickers proved that to achieve success, one doesn’t always need to think out of the box, instead, just keep things simple. Their basic idea was simple. It was the implementation that was funny and innovative.

Many business owners avoid including humor in their ads, as they feel it could be risky. What they don’t understand is that running a business involves a lot of risks – it’s not a steady-income job where you get paid every month. So, if you have decided to take the risk of running a business, you should consider taking other risks as well that can produce fruitful results for your venture.

Humor in advertising can work big time for your business when done right. The points mentioned in this post will help you understand what are the basic steps you need to follow while creating a funny ad. At the end of the day, it is all about keeping things simple, sticking to basics, and making it relevant to your brand’s message and the problems faced by your target audience. If the basics are not followed, it could completely backfire and affect the reputation of your brand, thereby affecting your sales.