I spend a lot of research time examining the costs and benefits of humor in business. The team at Grasshopper reached out to me recently to discuss how attempts to create funny marketing can fail.
Here is what they came up with:
- Don’t Be Tedious or Tasteless
- Be Careful If You’re Poking Fun of Consumers
- Don’t Get Boo-ed Off Stage
- Don’t Laugh Pointlessly
A bit more info from the last one:
Make sure your funny campaign has a purpose that relates to your product or integrates with your marketing goals.
Ask yourself, What do you want to accomplish with this marketing or communication tactic? Have a goal in mind, and track the results. This could be something softer than an increase in sales, such as an increase in social media interaction.
Make sure it relates to your product or service, even if it’s in an unexpected or irreverent way.
Be inclusive not exclusive – is the joke widely shareable? Be unique but not too esoteric.
Read all about it HERE.