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  • Cool Guy

    Fresh Gai

    The business of making people laugh

    A wordless comedian from Senegal with over 142.7 million followers, the unique 3-word resignation, raw onion rings for lunch and Meta shuts down social media post tracking tool on Facebook. We bet you remember at least 2 of these updates; we also know it's not the last one.

    That's the beauty of Humour Marketing.

    Khaby Lame

    Recently Khaby Lame, a 22-year-old Senegalese-born creator, became the most-followed person on TikTok by reacting wordlessly to complicated and absurd “life hacks.” His followers began exploding as brands like Dream11 started leveraging his unique humour in India.

    Disappointment leads to great memes.

    A bad match, bad lunch or bad boss, people take to social media to express their frustration in the form of memes. Gone are the days when only celebrities, comedians or influencers could make it big with their jokes. The comedy scene in India has seen an unprecedented boom in the last decade, with increased internet access and social media giving birth to new stars.

    YouTube says 85% of surveyed zoomers have posted content themselves, and 63% of them follow one or more meme accounts.

    The main question is- Have we graduated from the traditional way of expressing frustration?

    Let’s check out what Brainy Gai has to say about this shift from complaints to humour.

    Brainy Gai

    Inside the chaotic, highly lucrative world of Humour Marketing.

    Have you ever wondered that while you were working on something consequential, you suddenly found yourself so disinterested in the content that your eyes glazed over to the Instagram or Whatsapp notification pings on your phone and you were more focused on wondering whether Kusha Kapila’s new release on ‘desi’s in abroad’ or Dolly Singh’s new sketch is better?

    Zomato’s entertaining notifications have us drooling every time.

    Research shows that just 42% of positive experiences are forgotten, while 60% of negative experiences fade from memory.

    The content you serve your audience must be entertaining, memorable and most importantly, shareable.

    That’s why Humour Marketing is so magical and why every brand wants to jump in.

    • Comedy is eye-catching and builds awareness in a fun way
    • Establish a sense of community and build connections
    • It releases endorphins in the viewer, which creates attachment
    • A smile can take you a long way when it comes to building trust
    • Increases engagement by grabbing the attention of the viewer at the top of the funnel

    Picture Credit: Sprout Social - Social Media funnel

    Be it situational irony by Vir Das, an observational comedy by Anubhav Bassi, or topical content from Viralbhayani’s famous meme page. Funny content is one of the most organic ways to grow on the internet. It’s true, and why not? People like being entertained in the B2C or B2B space.

    Digital agencies getting creative in the B2B space

    Besides Zomato, many brands have taken over this space and leveraged the element of humour in their marketing that drives more audiences.

    However, there’s a thin line between funny and offensive. The wrong joke at the wrong time can make your brand look amateurish and unprofessional.

    So let's check out Quirky Gai’s list of brands tickling the funny bone the right way.

    Quirky Gai

    Ad jokes or bad jokes?

    Nowadays, more and more brands are choosing the Jester Brand Archetype to create customer-centricity and closeness

    The following brands used humour to create intimacy-

    Old Spice

    Old Spice guy is still on that horse and we can't get enough.

    Durex India

    Keep those sexual innuendos cumming!

    Netflix India

    Netflix and super chill zone

    Humour can undoubtedly add a new dimension to your brand if the content is used correctly.

    What to steer clear of?

    • Tasteless or offensive humour
    • Timing is key; a brand should know when NOT to create a meme
    • Brand misalignment, think about the existing image of your brand before you go too far

    Knock, knock. Should I incorporate humour in my content marketing strategies?

    Go for it! If it matches your brand tonality and if you are willing to take a risk. However, one size does not fit all, so you must evaluate the merit before jumping on this bandwagon.

    The important thing is to make your content more relatable, so your audience connects. There is a massive cloud of intolerance in the Indian mindset owing to our age-old patriarchal society. This leads to shows getting banned or comedians behind bars.

    So while being funny is a great superpower, in the Indian market, it also comes with great responsibility, so tread carefully!

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    Total 1 Comment

    Archana Arora2022-07-26

    It does get you eyeballs but has to be done tastefully for the brand to boom and not doom.

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