Almost every brand is active on social media in 2016. Most of them have become experts at interacting with their customers and followers. Yet only a handful, like Old Spice, attempt to be funny. Is it possible that companies avoid humor to ultimately avoid a potential backlash?
For every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction. Plus a social media overreaction.
— Tim Siedell (@badbanana)
January 30, 2012
Brands shouldn't be afraid to try humor. This guide to using humor on social media should help.
Guidelines for Marketing with Humor on Social Media
Know your audience
Keep up with viral trends
Post a smart response or don't respond at all
Stay true to your brand
Don't force the funny
Know Your Audience
Taco Bell is known for having one of the best approaches for millennial marketing (ages 18-34). The target taco customer is a college-age guy looking for lots of calories at a low price. It's almost instinctual for him to go grab a late-night Crunch Wrap Supreme with Baja Breeze Slurpee.
Taco Bell is a Twitter favorite because they take the time to personalize their humorous responses, they never sound automated and they don't over do it. Take this simple reply to a MensHumor tweet about Taco Bell causing a "food baby."
@MensHumor I want a DNA test.
— Taco Bell (@tacobell)
June 24, 2012
By intelligently using Twitter, Vine, and Snapchat, Taco Bell is reaching the younger audience they're targeting. How do they know their target market so well? Their social media marketing team is made up of millennials who post on Taco Bell's behalf.
Perhaps there is some methodology behind TB's quick wit and seemingly "I don't care attitude".
Use Trending News To Correlate Back to your Brand
Who remembers the notorious dress?
Oreo knocked it out of the park when they responded to "The Dress" on social media and used the hype to promote their brand. Their response was a funny, relevant and creative way to market, while still showcasing their products.
Fashionably late? #TheDress pic.twitter.com/qGVecgt4mz
— Oreo Cookie (@Oreo) February 27, 2015
Respond Smart Or Not At All
We don't know all the details of this alleged Pokemon battle that took place at Coles, a supermarket chain in Australia, but their response was pitch perfect. It would have been easy to chastise the customer for unruly behavior or ignore this post. Instead, they acknowledged the complaint and defused it by explaining their employee was probably not aware they were in a Pokemon battle.
Instead of ignoring customer's random posts, brands can take the opportunity to interact with them. Who doesn't love light banter? Not to mention the great PR for when more people catch on.
Dollar Shave Club also capitalized on some shared content.
@AndrewKullberg You're gonna like the way you look, we hairantee it.
— Dollar Shave Club (@DollarShaveClub)
April 16, 2015
Dollar Shave Club took this spelling error and ran with it. A simple pun that showcases the their light and fun company culture.
Take a Unique Approach That Fits Your Brand
Denny's is another company that's been having a blast on Social Media. Denny's often takes a slightly more obscure approach in their messaging.
~draw me like one of yr french toasts~
— Denny's (@DennysDiner)
June 2, 2014
This Titanic reference made people in the office laugh out loud. Good one, Denny's. It works because Denny's already has a tongue-in-cheek branding approach with menu items named "Moons Over My-Hammy" and billboards that say, "It's 3 am. Nothing is is open. Eat at Denny's."
Other brands wouldn't have as much luck with this type of humor. Try to be funny in a way that fits your brand.
Use Your Followers' Mentions to Interact and Have Fun
.@nrb__95 A present for your bravery. A stick of deodorant for your pits. And a bar of soap for your mouth. DM us. pic.twitter.com/dUHRRqEGxq
— Old Spice (@OldSpice)
October 6, 2015
Old Spice is great at social media humor. The Old Spice style involves a mixture of wit, not berating the competition and avoiding foul language. Like Taco Bell, they play to their millennial persona on shared and owned media.
By socially engaging Old Spice has found a way to stay fresh. Their latest social campaign consisted entirely of humorous responses from the future to customer tweets from the present. This is the social media equivalent of account based marketing.
Don't Force the Funny
The 7-Eleven social marketer probably snickered to themselves as they wrote the idea. It feels like something that could be or should be funny. However, it fell flat during editing or translation.
The public's negative reaction was definitely not their goal. The take-away: don't try to hard to force the humor and think before you post. If there is a possibility you're being offensive, think twice.
Why Should Marketers Take a Funny Approach?
When a brand incorporates humor into their social media posts it adds a human element that the audience wants to relate to and be a part of. Customers gain respect and form relationships with companies who use humor on social media. Old Spice has revitalized their brand through clever television and social media campaigns.
When attempting to use humor on behalf of your brand always stay true to your company's values. The humor should be an extension of the brand messaging, not a distraction. If resources allow, try to personalize your responses and never be afraid to use humor. Your current and potential customers on social media will appreciate the creative approach to marketing.
Curious to see if humor is driving results? Use a media intelligence platform to monitor the productivity of funny and factual tweets.
This one pager details how PR professionals can use media intelligence to guage owned and shared media performance.