"Creative ideas flourish best in a shop which preserves some spirit of fun. Nobody is in business for fun, but that does not mean there can not be fun in business."
Leo Burnett, Founder & CEO of Leo Burnett Advertising
"If you can make people laugh, you can make them think, and make them like and believe you."
Alfred E Smith, former New York Governor
"Laughter is the sensation of feeling good all over and showing it primarily in one place."
Josh Billings, Humorist & Author
"Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects."
Arnold Glasow, Humorist, Author & Philosopher
"Do not open a shop unless you like to smile."
Chinese Proverb
Laugh and the world laughs with you. In business you may laugh all the way to the bank.
Agreed, people do not enter business for fun, except those in the business of humor. Even the business of humor has become serious business. But there is no reason why a healthy dose of fun can not be included in business.
Businesses are plain afraid and uptight. Of course, there are businesses that deal in healthcare, pharmacology, safety products, and finance. In such cases injecting humor could backfire at times. But a little amount of self deprecating humor can always lighten the burden. And a little humor can be injected in to any kind of brand. Joseph Heller could find humor in a grave serious issue like war.
The best way to make things lighter for brands is to direct humor at themselves. For instance McDonald's can add humor to its brand image and show how it is huffing and puffing to shed its old "junk" image in favor of a new "trim and nutritious" avatar. Coca-Cola too can lighten up the atmosphere by directing humor at its efforts to shift focus to energy and fruit based drinks. People know this is happening, so why not add a bit of humor to it and make it more realistic and human.
If done properly, humor in advertising is a sure way of getting the attention of customers to the brands and the products. Consumers are gravitating towards brands that they perceive to be authentic. Nothing can convince consumers about authenticity more than humor. Humor changes the stodgy images of brands and makes them lively and bright. Brands are personalities; A personality with a sense of humor is a winning personality. Here are some explanations of why humor works.