Time to Channel Your Inner Patch Adams
The Nielsen Global Survey of Trust in Advertising polled more than 29,000 Internet respondents in 58 countries to measure consumer sentiment on 19 forms of advertising formats. Forty-seven percent of global respondents agreed that humorous ads resonated most.
Humor Builds Unity
Laughter is social. We laugh 30 times more when we’re with other people than when we’re alone, according to Robert R. Provine, professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Laughter eases tension and forms a sense of unity through groups.
One of the fastest ways to grow your social media subscribers is to use humor.
It’s Easier to Go VIRAL
Most obviously, content that is truly and broadly viral is almost always funny. One study interestingly titled “From subservient chickens to brawny men” found that despite 62% of ads being aired by Fortune 500 companies, 60% of viral ads were being generated by the smaller companies. The discussion continues:
“Humor was employed at near unanimous levels for all viral advertisements. Consequently, this study identified humor as the universal appeal for making content viral.”
Humor isn’t always the answer, but it’s essentially a pre-requisite for a viral ad. Small companies win more than their share of attention because they’re willing to be a little more interesting and less sterile.
Funny Makes Your Practice More Memorable
Positive feelings create memories. Research has shown that just 42 percent of positive experiences were forgotten while 60 percent of negative experiences faded from memory. No one remembers a dull Facebook post or boring YouTube video, but we all remember Kmart’s “I Shipped My Pants” commercials, even if we’d forgotten that Kmart was around. Making your audience feel good through humorous content will help them to remember your brand in the short- and long-term.
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