According to Marketing Sherpa report, laughter is a crucial factor in a communication between a brand and potential recipients: people follow a company in social media because they find it amusing and entertaining. Thanks to humour, a particular brand seems to be more human. This makes a company stand out from the crowd of competitors.
However, it is not that easy when it comes to creating a funny video in order to sell a product. So, we are taking closer a look at the most effective and funniest marketing campaigns and learn how does the humour work, how to make somebody laugh… and when to do it.
1. Evian: Inner Child Dancing
How to achieve a comic effect? One well-tried tactic is a contrast e.g. between adulthood’s emotional maturity and childish ease. This strategy has been used in the Evian’s advertisement, which soon turned out to be a viral. It tells a story about adults who are looking at themselves in a magic mirror, which literally reflects their inner child. When they see themselves as a children, they start to act completely different – dancing, playing around and relaxing.
Laughter is a “therapist” in this ad: while we are watching, we feel like acting exactly the same as the main characters- abandon seriousness, chill out and find more cheerfulness. The presented video is only a small part of a powerful campaign, which encourages its viewers to see their inner child. Another part of it is the application Baby&Me, which “babi-fies” the pictures in such a way that instead adults in it there appear babies.
2. Pepsi Max: prankvertising
Pepsi Max loves extreme actions and often employs prankvertising: controversial and risky sales promotion strategy using jokes on their unaware victims. Instead of making directed advertising spots, Pepsi arranges a situation and then monitors the reaction of the victims. The Halloween action Monster Mirror is an example of the strategy.
In the mirrors of a London cinema toilets, face-tracking tools have been installed, so that the reflected faces of its users were converted into dreadful ones, e.g. with werewolf hair or a scary clown mask.
3. Melbourne Underground: Dumb Ways to Die
The creation which has been commonly awarded and won a great public acclaim, Dumb Ways to Die is a campaign where animated characters representing lost body parts give instructions on how to act on the platform of Melbourne Underground (and also in lifetime situations) in order not to die, accompanied by a catchy, moralizing song.
Enough talking, just watch the video ! (again). We guarantee that you will be humming Dumb Ways to Die for the rest of the day.
4. Chipotle: Educational fairytale
An American chain restaurant wanted to advertise their brand as serving high quality, natural, homemade food. Instead of giving an expertise lecture, they decided to base on the highly emotional picture – a cartoon, resembling the world of popular Wizard of Oz (scarecrow) and WALL-E (world destroyed by human, where inanimate characters want to bring it back).
It is a brilliant idea to pass on positive values and a back-to-the-past vision of childhood.
5. Poo-pourri: Girls Don’t Poop
What can be funnier than the human physiology? Of course, nothing compares. The producer of toilet fresheners, Poo-pourri, in a humoristic way debunks a myth that women go to the toilet only to correct their makeup. A beautiful actress, dressed in retro style, tells about women’s dilemmas, when they have to pretend that their intestines produce nothing but rosewater.
Full of amusing metaphors about defecation (“And when your little astronaut splash down”) combines the promoting function with a social malady (stereotypes concerning femininity) and started a raged debate. We love it!
6. Nike: Winner Stays
Nike conveys the message that no matter who you are and where you have come from – it’s real passion that makes you a sportsman. Sometimes it leads Nike to pathetic spots but they also make humoristic ones. For example, like in the advertisement when children from their local pitch change into famous footballers: Ronaldo, Rooney, Ibrahimović.
The campaign become not only a viral before Mundial 2014 but also gives some positive vibrations: the winner becomes one who is determined and has the will to fight for dreams.
7. Volvo: Epic
The epic split of Jean Claude Van Damme was the Cannes 2014 bombshell! It is a wonderful and spirited add, maintaining a healthy ironic distance. One of its producers, Bjorn Engstorm, compared the video to the Tarantino movies: “just combining an aging star with an out of fashion song and that works!”.
If you think that there is something more spectacular than Jean Claude Van Damme splitting between two driving trucks against the sunset, let us know!
8. Dollar Shave Club: genuineness and rebellion
Michael Dublin, the founder of Dollar Shave Club (a company selling razor blades packs lasting for one month) decided to present his idea in a video in which he stars himself and tells the story about what he does. The film is a clear evidence that humour code cannot be fully analysed and broken down. Michael endears the viewers with his genuineness, energy and humour.
Great choose of form and content to audience!
9. Google Analytics: reversal
Google Analytics shows how important the page optimization is. The funny video about creating Landing Pages shows how the consumer experience would look like in an ordinary shop after applying common methods used in online shops. The client comes with a particular intention and you retard his purchase with offers he do not need. The gimmick is about changing the context- from online shop to an offline. [
A great presentation of a common problem. At the same time, humour makes the video pleasant and non-aggressive, what makes criticism more palatable.
10. John St: Catvertising
Last on our list- more funny than small dancing children and women’s toilet- cats!
John St. Agency created a video advertising them as a unique publicity agency doing.. catvertising. Making fun of a ubiquitous cat-trend in the Internet, they ensure that it makes huge profits for companies.
Mechanisms of Humor
How was the comic effect achieved in the videos above?
-contrast: in Evian’s add the funny confrontation of adulthood and childhood,
-juxtaposing seemingly mismatching elements: worked great in Dumb Ways to Die. Cartoon, a song and accidents? This is the inappropriateness that evokes astonishment and amusement.
-exaggeration: the PopPourri’s advertisement exaggerates women’s everyday problem and helps them laugh at themselves.
– taking metaphor literally: worked in Nike’s video. We imagine very often that we are someone else, a person we admire, and identify with the hero. Young footballers hang the posters on the walls and wear T-shirts with their idols. Nike goes one step further- combines comparison with identification, when boys actually become their IDOLS.
-surprise: now something completely different! Are you expecting a punchline when seeing Jean Claude Van Damme.
When humour works?
There is no universal strategy working for every type of businesses and receivers. Do not be misled by universal rules, which claim that a particular branch of business cannot be funny. (If you think that B2B communication is not funny- then watch Tim Wascher)
But how to answer a question: Is humour a good strategy for my company?
1. Create Buyer Persona The only decisive factor are your receivers. If you have a precise vision of their needs and expectations, what they like and find interesting, you would know if humour is a good solution for your company.
Create Buyer Persona: Step-by-step guide. Download for free!
2. Test! It can seem risky, yet there is nothing more but to have a go and see your receivers’ reaction- rather than just make them laugh. You can use simple A/B tests – send an e-mail with two versions of a spot and see which one converted better.
3. Research If you know your target group, you can do a research whether the particular social status category have a common sense of humour.
4. Be authentic Do not try to make your receivers laugh when you do not understand their sense of humour (spend time on better understanding). There is nothing worse than unsuccessful attempts of being funny- none of this is gonna work.
And what about you?
Which one do you find the most convincing?
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