Humour in marketing: How to have the last laugh!
Similar to most things in life, success is a destination that can be reached by taking various paths. Digital marketing is no different. Today we will look at one such tactic that brands across all verticals have been increasingly using as a part of their promotional activities - humour.
In recent times there has been a shift in how brands choose to portray their image to their consumers. Multiple studies like the one conducted by Clutch in 2018 have shown that there is a higher likelihood of consumers responding positively to humorous advertising compared to informative advertising, whether they talk about the latest products or long-standing trustworthy brands. It can be safely said that brands have adopted a philosophy of “Who doesn’t like to laugh, right?”
Of course, humour in advertising is subjective and a fine path to walk on. It is also true that there are several brands whose services and products are such that humour can’t be injected into their messaging. Sometimes it is difficult to do so, while at other times it is plainly impossible.So, here is Idecution’s guide on how to use humour to improve your brand perception.
1. Understand your brand’s relationship with your target audience: This is the key to not just creating humour appeal in advertising but in any digital marketing strategy. It is important to understand that even if a brand decides to go for a humour-based marketing strategy, it is not as simple as just making a funny ad.
2. Construct a fictional profile of an ideal customer: Once you have understood the current relationship between your brand and the audience, it is important to understand who your ideal customer is and what type of humour they are likely to respond to. Some common questions that can be asked during this process are:
● What do they enjoy doing?
● What are their daily struggles?
● What is it that they are concerned or sensitive about?
● What are their favourite ways to have a good time?
● What do people want from your brand?
● What do you want people to desire from your brand?
3. Adapting your brand to fit the target audience:
Once you have figured out who your target audience is and what they want from your brand, it is time to figure out where exactly your brand perception lacks and come up with humour-based strategies to address these gaps.
Once we have picked a concept on which humorous posts and content can be generated, it is important to understand the three basic types of humour that can be used:
● Based on world play/innuendo
● Based on inside jokes that the audience will be familiar with
● Extravagant humour based on overhyping products/services used in daily life
In addition to following these steps, it is always a good idea to combine humour with any currently trending topics (also known as trend marketing) for maximum effect.
This type of marketing is more important for businesses which are in the startups/MSMEs/SMB stage as they will need to generate the majority of their brand reach and perception organically.