How do you connect with someone? Not as a brand, but as a person. Most people prefer authenticity and relatability, whether that’s coming from a company or a human being. They want to feel understood. And what’s the secret weapon to proving both your authenticity and relatability in one go? Making people laugh! Our experience as an advertising and branding agency has taught us that human connection through humor is right at the heart of strong marketing, which is why we’re sharing our team’s favorite funny ads with you today to celebrate World Laughter Day and get you giggling!
Winning Hearts with Humor – “No Sweat Summer”
Laughter is a universal language that transcends age, culture, and social barriers. It gives you the power to instantly connect with your audience, build a sense of camaraderie with them and humanize your brand. From our decades of work as a graphic design company in Dubai with clients from all over the world, we’ve seen the power of humor in advertising firsthand! One hilarious example we recently came across is this “No Sweat Summer” ad for Grab in the Philippines – a personal favorite handpicked by our Creative Director himself. This ad’s ability to not just entertain, but also connect with a super relatable, comedic human struggle makes us as viewers feel like this is a brand that understands and cares about us:
Laughter is Loud & Perfect for Standing Out – “Some films are too __ to watch alone”
In an age when consumers are bombarded with advertisements at every turn, breaking through the noise is hard. Humor is the perfect disruptor to grab attention amidst a sea of mundane marketing. A clever punchline or a witty scenario can stop even the most distracted consumer in their tracks, compelling them to pay attention to what your brand has to say.
If you’ve been based in the UAE long enough like most of us at Praxis Advertising, then you probably went to the cinema and saw Du’s hilarious “Some films are too __ to watch alone” ad series promoting Du Tuesdays. If not, here is one of my personal favorites in this ad series. Its unique approach made it totally stand out from a more typical movie theater advertisement, proving that a bit of wit and charm in your branding can go a long way:
Humor is Memorable, Shareable & Memeable – “Father’s Day”
Our end goal as an advertising and branding agency is not just to help our clients be seen, but also to help them be remembered. Simply put, advertisements that tickle your funny bone are more memorable, shareable and memeable. As social media culture booms, who doesn’t love sharing content that entertains them? Understanding algorithms and being well-versed in social media trends are part of our job as a social media agency, so we know that funny ads are more likely to go viral, amplify your brand reach and make a lasting impression. Here’s one by Durex that our Art Director found particularly funny for its memorable take on “Father’s Day” and its ability to improve brand recall by distinguishing itself from the rest:
A Healthy Balance of Humor & Heart – “World Mental Health Day”
When sprucing up your campaigns with humor, the key is to strike a good balance between entertainment and delivering your brand message. Use humor to complement your message without overshadowing it, so that your audience remembers not just your joke but also your product, service and/or brand. As an example, our final funny ad pick is actually one our own social media agency made in Dubai, UAE a few years ago for Cosmos Insurance Brokers’ digital BestInsurance.ae platform. To handle its lead generation model online, we at Praxis used our skills as a graphic design agency to craft a quirky social media strategy mixing humor and heart, resulting in a “World Mental Health Day” post that balanced the importance of mental health with a dash of humor to lighten things up, while also tying in the brand’s insurance platform:
Grow Your Audience with Giggles
Use this as inspiration to connect with your customers, stand out from competitors, boost brand recall and balance your core message with humor to lighten things up. Wrapping up our Praxis team’s picks for World Laughter Day, we hope our favorite funny ads made you laugh and realize the undeniable impact of making your own audiences laugh, too!
