Humor is a surprisingly complex phenomenon. At first glance, it seems straightforward: something is funny, we laugh. But upon examination it turns out that humor and laughter play several roles in our lives, influencing the way we communicate with each other and how we see the world.
“First and foremost, humor is a disruptive force. The experience of laughter, especially unexpected laughter, jolts people out of their routine and creates heightened awareness. You’re reminded that the world isn’t exactly what you expect it to be,” says Karyn Buxman, neurohumorist and former president of the American Association for Therapeutic Humor, “so you pay more attention to what’s going on.”
Humor is particularly effective at capturing attention when it is appeals to the unconscious mind. In Carver & Scheier’s seminal work, Perspectives on Personality, we find that “Humor often rests on threatening desires or impulses that are transformed in amusing ways.” The longing to use ‘dirty’ or ‘naughty’ language manifests very early in our development — ask any first grade teacher, and they’ll tell you the most popular punchline ever is “Poop!” — and it stays with us for our entire lives. The Kmart commercials very deftly give people a way to enjoy the naughty impulse without any social consequences. That’s the comedy bulls-eye!
Finally, it’s important to understand that humor can be used to both capture and direct customer attention. Both commercials have, at their core, messaging about Kmart’s online sales and gas savings — areas where the brand has reasonable hopes of being a viable competitor. If enough shoppers associate the pleasurable experience of laughing at Kmart’s messaging with interacting with the brand, the chances they’ll give the online store a try themselves go up. After all, doesn’t everyone want to ship their pants?
Be A Better Brand Manager: The Essentials
Humor is not one-size fits all. What makes one person laugh may alienate another. The more robust and complete your understanding of your customer is, the easier it will be to create messaging that tickles your customers’ funny bone.
Be strategic. While humor is generally always welcome, it’s best used when it helps reinforce a specific marketing message.
Pay attention to your metrics when assessing what types of humor work best with your customer base. Humorous content tends to be among the most highly-shared content on social media in general, so make sure you’re making apples-to-apples comparisons (examining how one type of funny material works compared to another type of funny material rather than funny material compared to more serious content) when judging effectiveness.