Humorous campaigns can be the biggest viral hits -- or virulent failures. Learn the rules for injecting humor without causing a fatal overdose for your brand.
Why comedy is the new currency
If you can make people smile….you have just disarmed them. If you can make people laugh out loud, you have just made them feel like they're in on the joke, and there's a good chance you left them feeling better than they did before you got to them. But most importantly, by using comedy you have created a positive association between the users and whatever brand, product or concept you are representing. Make 'em laugh and you can make them do anything.
Rule #1: Be as funny as you need to be
In our increasingly fragmenting 2.0 online world of all-you-can-eat distraction, unlimited customization and a seemingly endless parade of "apps," the comedic marketing campaign that really clicks is the Holy Grail to which we all aspire. Something memorable that makes people laugh and want to share it with their friends is about as good as it gets. And online, even though we have far more latitude, the same basic real world rules of comedy apply: Make 'em laugh and you can make them do anything. But if it's not funny, you're dead.
So, how funny do you really need to be in order to be heard, be seen and be taken seriously…or at the very least, have an impact for your brand?
The answer is as simple as it is deceptive: as funny as you need to be…and then some.
Rule #2: Don't be a fool
Once upon a time, brands weren't always willing to take a pie in the face in the name of comedy. Serious institutions like banking, insurance and law were treated with the same gravity as a life-threatening illness. To have fun with a "serious" brand was to somehow cheapen it, or at least weaken it in the eyes of the consumer. But the online world is much more forgiving, not to mention starved for distracting entertainment. Here, a new car can be a toy, an insurance premium can become impenetrable video game "armor" and even the once staid world of banking is now cheerfully irreverent. Why? Because online, brands can take more chances and experiment like a curious college student who suddenly finds himself alone for the weekend with his girlfriend's hot older sister, a fully stocked wet bar, dad's credit card and Timothy Leary's chemistry set. Those brands that have thrived have seen the paralyzing, stagnating effects of resisting change take its toll on their lesser evolved competitors, and they jump into the pool fully dressed and ready to make fools of themselves. In this brave new world, the only real fools are those who remain dry.
Rule #3: Even serious topics can use humor
So, the only real guideline for an online comedy campaign is how far is too far? Can you have fun with anything?
Personal hygiene? Certainly. Axe leads the way. Household products? Yep. Brawny reinvented itself with its now legendary Brawny Academy. Food and beverage? Burger King is edgier than ever online and the efforts have given it a level of street cred that few brands in its category have ever enjoyed. Insurance? Absolutely. Remember, at one point, Geico even had its own sitcom based on its funny hit campaign (ok, so the execution of the sitcom wasn't very funny, but Geico can't be blamed for that).
How about if your brand is a funeral home? Can that be funny? Probably, if handled correctly. It could look something like this:
When Gramps passed on, we were faced with a choice we couldn't make. So, much like a reality show, we decided to let YOU, the American people, decide.
- To inter Gramps, press 1.
- To cremate Gramps, press 2.
- To make Gramps dance madly to "Dance Dance Revolution", press 3.
Everyone would press 3 first. Everyone. Even Gramps, if he could, would want to see himself dance like a mad skeleton just one last time before the big sendoff.
Now I'm not suggesting that a funeral home actually do this… but it does familiarize the audience with the whole burial vs. creation dilemma in a light-hearted and somewhat engaging way. Because eventually, even the most diehard of gamers will tire of DDR's repetitive commands and address the need to put Gramps to a peaceful rest and take care of his final wishes.
So how can you inject a little humor into your brand the right way, without falling flat or, worse, betraying your brand identity?