Fun fact: about 53% of consumers will recall or enjoy an ad if it’s humorous. There’s tons of techniques marketers use to resonate with consumers, including creating videos that are unique, culturally impactful, or simply features a celebrity or a catchy tune. But there’s something about making audiences laugh that makes your brand stand out, especially depending on what you’re advertising and who your audience is. So, how do you know if humor is the way to go? Why should you use humor in your videos?

Why Does Humor Work?

89% of marketers claim that videos provide a good ROI, so take advantage of video advertising to the fullest by creating videos that are more likely to reach a broad audience. How do you do that? Consider the number one rule of advertising: grab attention. Humor keeps the audience invested in the storyline of a video, leading them to have more interest in the service and the company. This is especially effective if you grab the audience’s attention immediately, preferably within the first 3 seconds of a video. Additionally, videos are shared 1,200% more than text and links combined. So, if your video ad is compelling and entertaining, then it’s more likely to be shared and remembered by consumers, giving your business more exposure.

5 Questions to Keep in Mind:

As great as entertaining videos are, there are factors to consider when pursuing a funny marketing strategy. You don’t want your humor to come off as insensitive, but you do want to be informative and consistent with your brand. So, ask yourself these questions before committing to comedy:

Do you intend to make humor a running theme with your brand? Humor doesn’t work as well if it’s only done once or twice, so if you plan on taking a humorous approach to advertising, then do so consistently - Just make sure your creative team is up for the challenge.

Is your target audience a younger crowd? Millennials and Gen Z-ers tend to appreciate humorous advertisements more than Gen X-ers and Boomers, particularly on social media.

Is your goal to be relatable? 44% of consumers like advertisements if they’re relatable, and humor is an entertaining and creative way to relate to audiences.

Does it fit your brand’s products & services? If you want consumers to associate lightheartedness and a humorous tone with your company, then make all the creative jokes you want in your ads - as long the humor still effectively conveys your message and makes sense with your brand. Humor helps make your brand memorable, but you don’t want your product or service to be overshadowed by the joke.