How can brands scale with humour

When done well, a bit of humor can be very effective.

Humor has the ability to cut through the noise. And brands are always looking for ways to cut through the noise. 

But brands also frequently miss the mark and end up looking foolish.

McDonald's is known for their witty, sarcastic social media presence.

They frequently roast themselves and other brands in a hilarious way.

Zomato, the food delivery app, is another brand that has mastered the art of the funny tweet.

They often poke fun at their own mistakes and customer complaints with a great sense of humor.

We’ve all had professors or teachers in or life who tried to convey a complex concept in a funny way. Most of the time, it ultimately blows up in their faces and no one every laughs at their bad dad jokes.

But I really appreciate the effort that teacher makes to make that impression.

Brands are basically trying to do the same.

Not every attempt at humor lands. Pepsi had to pull an ad starring Kendall Jenner after it was widely criticized as tone-deaf.

The ad tried to make light of social justice protests but came across as making light of serious issues.

Likewise, Dove had to apologize for a Facebook ad that appeared to show a black woman turning into a white woman after using their soap.

Oops!

The lesson is that humor is tricky. If it wasn’t, everyone would be doing it! Look at my jokes, even after all these years, I can’t even land one properly.

But brands need to be very careful to not offend or step on important matters in a way that might pluck the wrong nerve.

But when done right, a bit of laughter can be great for business.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to enjoy a Big Mac and a few more hilarious tweets from Oreo!

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