The benefits of fun and humour in brand voice
Here’s the thing: humour is subjective.
With so many potential definitions of fun brand voice to consider, and all the risks and pitfalls that come with consistently sharing funny copy, you might be thinking…
“What’s the point of it all?”
“Why bother with all this headache when we can just stick to what we're already doing?”
That’s what this wee blog is about: breaking down EXACTLY why adding the right kind of fun and humour to your brand tone of voice is absolutely worth it.
Fun brand tone of voice: The benefits
Memorability
When you watch the news, how much of the topics and stories do you actually remember?
What about when you watch topical comedy panel shows dissecting and discussing those same stories?
You’re far more likely to remember the key facts of what’s going on in the world when it’s made fun, funny, and interesting.
That’s because humour and fun stick in our brains far better than bog-standard average content.
There are two reasons why.
Your brain loves drugs
When we laugh, we get a lovely ol’ release of dopamine in the brain. Not only does this brain drug make us feel all nice, it also aids our attention and engagement, making the whole experience easier to remember and recall.
The Ikea Effect
Your brain remembers things you’ve had to spend a bit of time piecing together/working out. The IKEA effect is when you value something higher because you’ve built it yourself. So if your audience has had to participate in understanding the joke or the reference, it’s easier for them to hook into. That’s why things like witty puns and funny wordplay are so effective. They get people to stop and think, and therefore remember you.
Stand out-y-ness
People have a heightened interest for funny information, or something that is out of the ordinary that goes against the norms. The Bizareness Effect explains why our brains remember and recall bizarre sentences and phrases easier than everyday ones. That’s why mnemonics are so effective.
But what difference does this make to our brand tone of voice and our marketing? Well, this phenomena shows up in how we make our purchasing decisions. According to research from Oracle Cloud, a whopping 72% of consumers would choose a humorous brand over the competition.
Truly connecting with your audience
As we covered earlier, humour is subjective. What is funny to one person might not be funny to another. But that’s why it’s such an effective tool for attracting your target audience specifically. When we use fun, the content of our humour sends signals to our audience about our values, and our daily experiences. If we can send out the right kinds of signals to resonate with a specific group of people (namely, the people you set up your business to help), you can demonstrate just how well you understand your customers.
If you can speak to someone’s sense of humour, you show how well you understand them as a human being. That’s why fun and humour are the perfect tools for going beyond the standard marketing formulas, and communicating with audiences as if they were our peers, rather than a commodity we’re trying to sell to.
Make people take action
A fun brand voice can do more than just make your readers feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It can also inspire action and conversions. Given that 69% of people would open an email from a brand if the subject line were funnier, we know that humour and fun can spark those shorter term conversions and actions, as well as driving those longer term effects that come with being easy to recognise, remember, and connect with.
So what?
All of the above benefits contribute into one overarching effect of nailing fun and humour in your marketing:
Truly connecting and creating long-term relationships with the right kind of customers.
How do we make this happen?
Sure, there are so many benefits. But this only comes with getting fun and humour bang on, and hitting a definition that is right for:
Your audience
Your product/service
Your brand identity
If you want to chat about how you can find a definition that hits all those targets, and isn’t CRINGE AS HELL, get in touch.
Or, check out this blog on the 2 steps it takes to become the truly fun brand.