Engaging an audience with a touch of wit can be a game-changer for brands, so we’ve gathered six expert tips from directors, CEOs, and marketing executives. From showcasing authentic behind-the-scenes humor to embracing relatable humor, discover how to infuse laughter into your brand strategy to connect with your audience more effectively.
- Showcase Authentic Behind-the-Scenes Humor
- Leverage Trending Memes
- Create Satirical Industry Comics
- Use Cultural References Wisely
- Integrate Humor With Brand Identity
- Embrace Relatable, Authentic Humor
Showcase Authentic Behind-the-Scenes Humor
Marc Bishop, a company director, emphasizes the importance of using authentic humor in marketing campaigns to reflect a brand’s persona. “At our organization, we always advise our clients to infuse their marketing campaigns with authentic humor that reflects their brand persona, and a fantastic way to do this is through humorous behind-the-scenes content. Showing the lighter side of your business, like the everyday bloopers or candid moments of team interactions, can create a bond with your audience.
This strategy makes the brand more approachable and relatable, encouraging a connection that goes beyond the conventional customer-business relationship. It’s about pulling back the curtain and letting the audience in on the fun and realness of your company’s daily operations. This transparency entertains and builds trust, as customers appreciate a brand that doesn’t always take itself too seriously but is serious about its commitments.”
Leverage Trending Memes
Jason Hennessey, a CEO, highlights the effectiveness of “memejacking” for adding humor to brand engagement efforts. “”Memejacking” is a lesser-used yet highly effective strategy for infusing humor into your brand’s engagement efforts. It involves capitalizing on trending memes by tweaking them to include your products or brand messages. This requires a keen eye for viral trends and a good understanding of meme culture to ensure the content aligns with your brand’s voice and ethos.
Done right, it can position your brand as culturally savvy and relatable, leading to higher shares and engagement. Importantly, it allows brands to participate in global conversations while highlighting their playful side, making their marketing messages more digestible and share-worthy. This approach not only increases visibility but also enhances relatability among a wider, more diverse audience.”
Create Satirical Industry Comics
Miguel Salcido, a CEO and business founder, shares successful strategies from his time at a large agency involving creative and humorous branding. “At a large agency that I worked at and helped build a while back, we had an amazing design guy on the team, and we had the idea to do satirical comic strips about things that went on in our industry. The comics were a huge hit, and we got a good amount of press and branding from them. Another thing we did was that we made really funny t-shirts with our company logo on the sleeve, and we handed them out for free at a large conference. We also got a ton of press for this, and it was a huge success!”
Use Cultural References Wisely
Mia Naumoska, a CMO, highlights the effectiveness of using memes and cultural references to boost engagement and connect with audiences. “One powerful strategy for brands to boost engagement and connect with their audience is the use of relevant memes or cultural references in their content. These elements resonate well with audiences, often reflecting shared experiences or humorously highlighting common situations. When used thoughtfully, they can inject humor into the brand’s messaging, while still delivering valuable content or promotional information.
Additionally, engaging with humor when responding to people in online communities or on social media humanizes the brand. It shows that there are real people behind the brand’s communication channels who understand and can relate to their audience’s sense of humor. This approach fosters a positive perception of the brand, encourages interaction, and builds a stronger connection with customers.”
Integrate Humor With Brand Identity
Alli Hill, a business Founder and Creative Director, advises that humor should feel natural and align with your brand’s values. “Don’t force it—let it happen naturally. Humor for the sake of getting a laugh or hoping to go viral can often feel inauthentic, which can have the opposite effect you intend. That said, humor can help to establish an emotional connection with your audience, but it needs to be just as much a part of your brand as your other values, tone of voice, and overarching image.
Humor needs to make sense for your brand for it to work. Make it relevant to your business or industry and ensure you’re not just using jokes to get attention. Humor can be tricky for brands to use correctly, but when the jokes come easily and naturally, it feels more like part of your brand rather than clever marketing.”
Embrace Relatable, Authentic Humor
Andrew Lee Jenkins, a business Owner, suggests brands should use relatable and authentic humor to boost engagement. “I think one effective tip for brands to boost engagement with humor is to be relatable and authentic. People love content that feels genuine and mirrors their own experiences. I believe self-deprecating humor works well because it shows the brand doesn’t take itself too seriously and can laugh at its own quirks. In my opinion, it’s important to know your audience and tailor your humor to their tastes. Avoid overdoing it or using humor that could alienate or offend. When done right, humor makes your brand more approachable and memorable, encouraging your audience to engage more freely.”
Special thanks to Featured for their continued help in the creation of this blog post. Click below for more strategies from the Nativa team regarding Social Media Engagement.
