Why choose humor marketing?
It's a win-win situation:
Building relations. Humor acts like an ice-breaker in many situations, and advertising is no different. Laughter is contagious, and we all have a sense of humor. Gaining confidence and goodwill from your target market and making progress toward conversion is easier if you can make them laugh (without being disrespectful).
Brand recognition. Memory-enhancing regions of the brain are stimulated by humor. Unlike merely providing statistics, we leave a lasting impression when we find something amusing.
Viral marketing. If something makes you laugh, you are more likely to remember and share it with others. Your meme or a funny tagline can become the talk of the internet in no time, further enhancing your brand’s appeal.
Humor marketing done right
Companies like Charmin, Taco Bell, and other well-known businesses adhere to this unspoken rule. They demonstrate that a healthy dose of humor can be an influential asset for a company's marketing efforts. A brand's appeal can be boosted by its ability to communicate with customers lightheartedly. Anyone who is a follower or a human can agree that having fun and laughing, as well as humorous marketing material, is essential. A fantastic product, excellent customer service, and a good dose of wit are necessary for a successful marriage.
Examples of good humor marketing:
Charmin
A crowded market hasn't deterred Charmin from making a name for itself. It's common knowledge that bathroom humor is overused. However, Charmin's advertising on social media platforms and their customer interactions make you feel otherwise. For example, at the start of the campaign, on Twitter, they used the hashtag #tweetfromtheseat. Hashtags are a terrific method to get the word out about your business, keep track of interactions, and get people talking about it. In addition, they tweet about other well-known companies and connect with their fans there.
Using Charmin to lighten a dull or complex subject has helped them find a position in the highly competitive market. When you see their goods in a store, you associate positively with their advertisement. No wonder they've become so well-known; they're good at entertaining and demonstrating why their product is superior to the competition.
Wendy's
Wendy’s social media campaign advertising the Pub Pretzel Chicken sandwich made this fast-food restaurant a social media sensation overnight. The history of the chicken sandwich has become a popular topic of conversation among Wendy's fans. They were using the #PretzelLoveStories hashtag to convey their proposals. Several tweets have been incorporated into a film that tells the narrative. They've become characters' lines of dialogue and undoubtedly gained surplus publicity.
Tacobell
Fun is a big part of Taco Bell's advertising and social media campaigns. The taco emoji was added to the Android keyboard, so the business created a social media campaign to celebrate.
When someone tweets the brand's account, an image of a taco appears with another embodiment, and the company will instantly send back a photo or GIF that merges the two photos. Tacos wearing sunglasses (funny image) will be sent to anyone who tweets pictures of tacos with a cheerful expression—tweeting a taco picture with an image of satellite results in a GIF of a satellite firing tacos back at the user.
Soon it became a hit on Twitter and the internet, making this fast-food chain go viral and boosting its sales.
When humor goes wrong…
A brand's relationship with its target audience may be strengthened by tapping into the humor of people and by making people laugh. On the contrary, some firms fail miserably to inject comedy into their advertisements, which can negatively affect their consumers. Consumers lose interest in these businesses because they believe they are irrelevant and tone deaf.
In addition to damaging a company's reputation, poor humor drives off potential clients. Let's look at some of the most well-known businesses' faux pas.
Example of lousy humor marketing:
Malaysian Airlines
Only six months after losing MH17, Malaysia Airlines launched the “My Ultimate Bucket List competition.” Is an airline that only experienced two significant tragedies encouraging its customers to write about their bucket lists a good fit?
Participants were limited to 500 words describing what they have yet to accomplish in their lives. A bad idea to write about things when remembering the MH17 and MH370 disasters. Even more unsettling is that the winners will be flown in economy class. This was indeed a poor sense of humor displayed by the Malay airlines.
Tips for marketers to add humor in advertising
#1. Know Your Audience
Humor may have a vital emotional component. It's possible that what's amusing to one person may not be funny to another. As a result, knowing your target group is the first step in a successful humor-based marketing strategy.
By thoroughly researching your consumer profile, find out what kind of comedy your target audience enjoys. These include their favorite programs, hobbies, interests, and remarks they've made on social media. Consider how you can incorporate this style of comedy into your business once you've examined these examples.
Let your audience show how they laugh so you can learn more about what makes them laugh. Besides saving money, you'll also have a wealth of new advertising concepts at your disposal. Some funniest and popular viral advertisements incorporate user-generated material like Tik Tok challenges.
#2. Stick to the Brand You Know and Love
Rather than the other way around, your company's sense of humor must be tailored to fit your brand. An untargeted message will not aid your marketing efforts unless it is related to your products and services. Of course, you don't have to make your amusing material solely promotional. Nonetheless, it would help if you related it to your business so that the message is unmistakable.
#3. Don't Make Things Too Complicated.
The audience might become disoriented by overly complex or challenging to follow jokes. When using comedy in marketing, it is essential to keep things basic and straightforward.
#4. Experiment with new concepts
A person may reject a joke if they've had enough of it, which is not uncommon. To avoid this, make sure your jokes are up-to-date and consistently inventive.
Marketers must pay particular attention to ad fatigue. Keep an eye on your ad stats and refresh the campaign if you see that it is no longer attracting attention.
#5. Make Use of Memes
Memes are the new internet language. This is terrific news for marketers since they are simple to use, incredibly inexpensive, and extremely popular with the general public.
Memes may be a great way to connect with younger customers, but they can also be a hit with older ones. Making your memes is simple, thanks to the abundance of free tools available. Remember that you should never utilize a meme you do not fully comprehend.
Conclusion
Customers don't want to feel like you're ripping money directly out of their wallets; humor is a great way to get around that. You can engage and stick in the minds of customers by appealing to their emotions. Humor may be tricky, but knowing your audience and how they will react is crucial so that nothing is offensively misinterpreted. Incorporating ideas from these well-known companies, you may break into a tough market and make a splash while keeping relevant and recognizable. Continue reading SYP.net to discover more about advertising and networking and gain a deeper understanding of your audience.