8 Ways for Brands to Deliver Humorous Content (Part 1)

Being funny is a useful method to get one’s message across, for a brand or even the president. As The New York Times noted, jokes became a real tool to move Obama’s health care agenda forward. Yet finding the right balance of political correctness is a challenge for companies and celebrities. The risk factor involved is evident on a daily basis. In many cases amusing messages have gained traction, while in many others instances they backfired. The key is creating jokes that go viral for the right reasons. But since humor is subjective, there are no foolproof formulas. We’ve reviewed a variety of sources and mediums for humorous content: the White House Correspondent’s Dinner (WHCD), an MCNY exhibit, Roz Chast: Cartoon Memoirs, devoted to the longtime New Yorker cartoonist, and TV shows such as Saturday Night Live (SNL), With All Due Respect (WADR) and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Based on these samples, we compiled an outline of do’s and don’ts for brands to consider. 1. Offer an original take While many media outlets were teasing Donald Trump about his small hands, WADR instead spoofed his multiple hand gestures, counting all the angles and setting them to classical music. 2. Be self deprecating The singer Drake has been the subject of many social media parodies, so when he hosted SNL recently he used the occasion to sing a hilarious song about himself called More than a Meme. 3. Comment on newsworthy topics In a recent SNL opening sketch, Darrell Hammond lampooned Donald Trump for posing as his own publicist in the 1990s. Hammond changed the fictitious PR man’s name to Joey Pepperoni. 4. Use timeless evergreen themes that everyone can relate to Chast the cartoonist (pictured on the couch on left side) prefers to tackle classic everyday topics that many readers have experienced themselves, like taking the subway, dental visits and lost luggage. 5. Avoid topics like tragedies and illnesses Using medical conditions or terrorism as fodder for humor rarely works. However, Will Ferrell apparently didn’t get the memo. He was so widely criticized about his proposed role in a movie about President Ronald Reagan with Alzheimer’s disease that he withdrew from the project. 6. Know your audience and their perspective According to most accounts, Larry Wilmore’s jokes at this year’s WHCD fell flat among the audience in attendance. But as the Washington Post pointed out, he fared better on social media, where his jokes were often retweeted favorably. 7. Be a member of that demographic or geographic group Bill Maher is from New Jersey, so he can critique his home state, and Jon Stewart is Jewish so he can make light of Hanukkah. But NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio shouldn’t have made a joking reference to 'colored people time', even though his wife is black. Obama called him out on the faux pas during the WHCD. 8. Leverage visuals John Oliver, a New York Mets fan, mocked the New York Yankees’ preference for filling premium seats with affluent customers. He created a contest where those who won attended the team’s opening games. They wore distractingly colorful costumes and were shown on TV. (Drake image courtesy of NBC Universal)

Social Pro Daily

8 Ways for Brands to Deliver Humorous Content (Part 1)

Crafting amusing messages that break through.

Nancy Lazarus

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Nancy Lazarus