The Impact of Humour in Marketing Campaigns

Laughs, Likes, and ROI – How Funny Brands Win Hearts (and Budgets)

Introduction: Seriously, Why So Serious?

Let’s face it: nobody ever woke up thinking, “I hope a brand bores me senseless today.” Yet marketing can still feel like an endless scroll of beige content and lukewarm ideas.

After 30 years in marketing, content creation and seeing how the right creative can drive sales, I feel like I’m qualified to make a controversial suggestion: maybe it’s time to stop acting like your brand runs a funeral home (unless it does, in which case—carry on).

Let’s dive into why laughter is marketing’s most powerful (and if mis-understood) secret weapon.

Funny Means Money: The Hard (and Hilarious) Truth

Don’t let the humour fool you—this is serious stuff. Funny ads don’t just entertain; they work harder than their straight-faced cousins. Let’s crunch some comedy numbers:

Memory Magnets:
Neuroscience confirms humour boosts recall. (Think: everyone remembers the Old Spice guy. But can anyone name a specific serious soap ad? Exactly.)
Click-Bait (the Good Kind):
Humorous content can be shared faster than office gossip (even that time Sue and Neal both came out of the loo at the same time at the Christmas party), boosting your reach and making your media spend work overtime.
Likeability Factor (a.k.a. People Actually Like You):
72% of people prefer brands that make them laugh. Turns out, being liked helps people buy your stuff—who knew?
Sales, Actually:
According to Oracle, 80% of consumers are more likely to buy again from brands that use humour. So yep, laughs convert directly into cold, hard cash.

Proof in Action: The iconic Dollar Shave Club video? Made cost effectively, using what they had available (a large warehouse and super-awesome and handsome CEO, like me 😄). ROI? About a gazillion percent (technical term).

Why Brands Chicken Out: The Fear of Funny

Given how effective humour is, you’d think every brand would be pratfalling over themselves to crack jokes. Nope. Most brands are more nervous than a sheep in wolf’s clothing:

“What if nobody laughs?” – Fair, but remember: nobody laughs at (or remembers) bland ads either.
“What if we offend someone?” – Hint: Don’t offend anyone (except Dave, no one cares about Dave). Not rocket science.
“Will humour hurt our serious brand?” – Even financial and insurance companies use humour. If they can lighten up, anyone can.

Reality check: Your biggest risk isn’t telling a joke—it’s being utterly forgettable.

A Comedian’s Guide to Marketing: How to Be Funny (Without Getting Fired)

Now that we’ve (hopefully) convinced you humour isn’t marketing suicide, here’s a practical, foolproof plan to inject comedy into your campaigns:

1. Know Thy Audience
  Comedy is subjective. Your dad jokes won’t land with Gen Z, but if your audience IS dads then your style choice should be apparent (get it?)
2. Brand Personality = Joke Personality
  Match your humour to your existing brand tone. A coffin-making business? Maybe skip the knock-knock jokes and use relatable, light-touch humour instead. A craft beer startup? Go wild… and then use any style of humour.
3. Funny, But On Purpose
  Humour is strategy, not fluff. Align your jokes with your message. Your product solves problems; humour makes people care enough to notice.
4. Choose Your Comedy Weapon Wisely
5. Test the Waters (Before Diving Headfirst) Before you unleash your joke on the world, test it. A/B test your humour. Don’t just trust Rachel from accounts.

All Screens, All Funny: Humour Across TV, Social, Digital (and Maybe Your Fridge)

Not every joke fits everywhere. Here’s how humour can thrive on different platforms:

TV & Video:
Visual storytelling reigns supreme. A funny scenario or memorable character beats a thousand product demos. (Think: Meerkats selling insurance—still weirdly effective.)
Social Media:
Quick wit wins. Snackable comedy makes scrolling thumbs stop. Meme yourself famous, but don’t force it (see rule above about humour suiting your brand and product).
Digital Ads & Emails:
Subtlety counts. Clever copy, unexpected wit, keeps visitors around longer. Funny email subject lines are scientifically proven to boost open rates (you’re reading this aren’t you?).

A smart comedic strategy adapts to all channels. Your jokes should travel well—like your trusty neck pillow, but funnier.

Budget Laughs: Maximising ROI

The good news is funny doesn’t have to equal expensive. The best jokes often come from tight budgets (and sheer desperation). Humour rewards creativity, not chequebooks.

Earned Media (a.k.a. Free Attention):
Funny content spreads itself. Why buy views when good gags can get shared for free?
ROI You Can Measure (and Laugh About):
Track engagement, shares, sales conversions and positive sentiment. Humour doesn’t just feel good—it makes the CFO smile too.

Example:
Our King of Shaves’ ‘big heads’ comedy content series, produced on a modest budget, resulted in 800,000 views, high engagement, and 99% positive brand sentiment. Now that’s smooth finish. Speaking of which…

Punchline: Laugh Last, Win Most

Let’s wrap it up. Humour:

grabs attention.
boosts engagement.
humanises your brand.
makes people want to buy your stuff.

Basically, humour solves more marketing problems than an intern on triple espressos.

Ready to inject humour into your next campaign?

Book a free 30-minute chat with us, and we’ll promise more practical, funny ideas than bad dad jokes* and the expertise to help them work for you.

It’s time to take your brand from basic to brilliant. Go on, you know you want to.

*not an actual promise, sorry.

Book Your Free Chat Now

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