How to Use Humour in Your Marketing Campaigns

How to Use Humour in Marketing Campaigns

Humour is one of the most powerful (and most misunderstood) tools in marketing.

When used well, humour can make a brand memorable, distinctive and engaging. A clever joke or unexpected moment of humour can cut through the noise of advertising and make people pay attention in a way that traditional messaging often struggles to achieve.

But humour in marketing is also not without risk. What one audience finds amusing, another may find confusing, irritating or even offensive. For many businesses, particularly in more traditional sectors, the question is not simply whether humour works, but whether it can be used without damaging credibility; and for others, whether or not they care?

Understanding when humour does and doesn’t work is therefore essential for marketers considering this approach.

Why Humour Works in Marketing

One of the primary reasons humour works so well in marketing is that it attracts attention.

In a crowded media environment, audiences are constantly exposed to advertising messages competing for their time. Humour can interrupt this pattern by creating a moment of surprise or amusement that encourages people to engage with the message rather than ignore it.

Humour also improves memorability. People are far more likely to remember a message that made them laugh or smile than one that simply presented information. This is why humorous campaigns often become widely shared online: they create an emotional response that people want to pass on to others.

Finally, humour can humanise a brand. Companies that use humour effectively often appear more approachable and relatable, which can strengthen the emotional connection between the brand and its audience.

However, humour alone is not enough. The most effective campaigns use humour to reinforce a clear brand message, rather than distracting from it.

When Humour Works Best

Humour tends to work particularly well when a brand wants to stand out in a competitive market or build strong awareness quickly.

Challenger brands often use humour to disrupt established competitors. By adopting a more playful or irreverent tone, they can differentiate themselves from larger organisations that rely on more traditional messaging.

Social media is another environment where humour performs strongly. Platforms such as X, Instagram and TikTok reward content that entertains and encourages sharing, and humorous posts often perform far better than purely informational ones.

However, humour is rarely the best approach for every type of marketing communication. Highly technical products, sensitive subjects or serious brand positioning may require a more measured tone.

The key is ensuring that humour supports the brand’s identity rather than undermining it.

Examples of Humour in Marketing

Several well-known campaigns illustrate how humour can be used effectively.

One of the most famous examples is Old Spice. The brand reinvented itself with the “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” campaign, featuring surreal humour and exaggerated confidence. The campaign dramatically increased brand awareness and repositioned Old Spice for a younger audience.

Another well-known case is Dollar Shave Club. Its launch video combined humour, self-awareness and clear product messaging. The video quickly went viral and helped transform a small start-up into a major challenger brand in the grooming industry.

In the UK, Innocent Drinks has built much of its brand identity around gentle humour. The tone of voice used on its packaging and social media channels feels playful and informal, helping the brand appear approachable and distinctive.

Even companies in traditionally serious sectors have used humour successfully. Specsavers, for example, built an entire advertising platform around the line “Should’ve gone to Specsavers,” using humorous scenarios to reinforce its core message about eyesight.

In each case, humour was not used randomly. It supported a clear brand idea and reinforced the product’s positioning.

Thinking back to the ‘golden age of advertising’ (as far as we’re concerned at least!), the 1980s, do you remember the man in the photo booth who was trying to straighten his tie, smooth down his comb over etc? Here’s a link for the younger readers among us who may not have seen it and for our older readers to relive the glory days of the legend that is “Baldy man“…

This is a perfect use of humour in marketing (at the time), as consumers across the nation remembered and hummed the music which kept “Hamlet Cigars” in their minds.

The same can be said of the R White’s lemonade ‘Secret Lemonade Drinker’ campaign. I expect anyone over 45s can still sing that line to the correct tune…

I could go on, and for those of you having a trip down memory lane, here are a couple more links to other great humorous ad campaigns.

The BT-Ology advert – People will always need plates!

Carling Black Label – Bouncing Bomb Goalkeeper – laugh-out-loud funny!

The now infamous banned Tango Slap; achieved the double whammy of being funny AND banned, something sure to get people talking about your advert, provided it doesn’t get banned TOO quickly.…

When Humour Can Go Wrong

Despite its potential benefits, humour in marketing can VERY easily misfire.

One of the biggest risks is misjudging the audience. A joke that resonates with one demographic may fall flat with another. Cultural context, age and expectations all influence how humour is interpreted.

Another more subtle risk arises when humour distracts from the core message. If the audience remembers the joke but forgets the brand or the product, the campaign may have little commercial impact.

Timing and context also matter. Humour can feel inappropriate when used in relation to serious or sensitive topics and brands must be careful not to appear dismissive of issues that matter to their audience.

For these reasons, humour works best when it is carefully aligned with the brand’s values and communication style.

How Businesses Can Use Humour Effectively

For businesses considering humour in their marketing, a few principles can help ensure it works as intended:

• First, humour should always serve the brand message. The objective is not simply to make people laugh, but to reinforce what the brand stands for and why customers should care.
• Second, the tone should be consistent with the organisation’s identity. A playful brand may be able to use humour frequently, while a more traditional brand might incorporate it more sparingly.
• Third, humour often works best when it feels natural rather than forced. Attempting to appear funny simply for the sake of it can easily appear awkward or inauthentic.
• Finally, testing ideas internally or with a small audience before launching a campaign can help identify potential misunderstandings.

The Role of Humour in Modern Marketing

Humour will never be the right approach for every campaign. Some messages require clarity, authority or sensitivity rather than entertainment.

However, when used thoughtfully, humour can be a powerful way to attract attention, build brand personality and make marketing messages more memorable.

In a world where audiences are increasingly selective about the content they engage with, brands that can make people smile often gain an advantage.

The challenge is not simply to be funny – but to be strategically funny.