The laughter advantage: Why humor can be the secret ingredient of successful brand advertising in Latin America

Humor has the power to transform any situation into one of enjoyment, and this is no different in brand advertising. Content that is not only creative but also humorous can be strategic for positioning a brand in the market, as it provokes positive sensations and memories in the target audience. 

Carefully and precisely designed humor resources are increasingly being used in marketing campaigns and content in order to promote brand advertising and also to attract, then retain new customers. With the support, insights and local expertise of a digital marketing agency in Latin America, brands can leverage humor to make a lasting impression. 

In a world where artificial intelligence can quickly create content for clients and brands at the click of a button, to make it efficient, it’s important to have a human handle such tools to ensure originality and humor in the advertisement. 

Humor, the secret ingredient of successful brand advertising

Here’s why humor can be a secret ingredient in brand advertising and the advantages of its use.

1. Attracting and Retaining Customers

The use of humor in brand advertising can not only help the brand to position itself in the market but also attract new customers. This is because it is a captivating feature, capable of creating emotional connections and real engagement. 

However, one must be careful about excessive use! The exaggerated use of humorous language resources in brand advertising can become exhaustive and strip the company of its seriousness, thereby giving an impression of a lack of commitment. 

The company-customer bond can also be strengthened with humor through affective memory. When impacted by a funny advertisement, or one that evokes a good feeling within the individual, the brand will be remembered as that one that made them smile. 

Additionally, humor acts as a universal language that wins over and unites the people, regardless of their differences. In the case of brand advertising, when a company adopts humor in its advertisements, the consumer not only identifies with the brand but also feels closer to it.

1. Humor Makes Content More Authentic

In times when artificial intelligence is capable of creating worthy content, especially in the marketing sector, an original brand advertisement – without being “more of the same” – makes all the difference in winning over the customer. 

It’s worth noting that the use of humor in brand advertising can also serve for the creation of content or campaigns about the company’s history. After all, each and every brand’s story is unique and original. 

Using this narrative in a humorous or sensitively amusing way can help the brand become recognizable and memorable. Another point worth highlighting is that brands often take advantage of market or behavioral trends to make good brand advertisements. 

However, in the battle to captivate the target audience, humor always prevails due to its unlimited expiration date and undying popularity. It’s a timeless trend.

1. Humorous Marketing Advertising is Memorable

Companies that use humor or other sentiments in brand advertising are memorable and manage to stay in customers’ memories for a long time, but it’s the well-told stories and humorous characters within them that truly captivate the target audience.

An example of this would be the 2010 campaign from “Snickers” featuring the iconic phrase created by the chocolate bar brand, “You’re not you when you’re hungry.” Although it was a slogan, it emerged from the advertising campaign and was so successful that it became a phrase associated with the brand. 

In TV commercials and other advertising pieces, the brand used the iconic slogan alongside a character who became irritated and transformed into someone else when hungry. In this case, the character’s humor is created in conjunction with the phrase associated with the brand. 

Snickers’ strategy not only provoked genuine laughter from the audience but also generated identification, as many people’s mood changes when they’re hungry.

Conscious Use of Humor in Brand Advertising

There’s a fine line between harmless humor and offensive humor. Creativity – a fundamental resource for creating brand advertising and other public relations actions – should always be used responsibly. 

It is not uncommon to come across an advertising campaign that shows off its creativity through a pun or a funny story. However, the humor that captivates audiences can also alienate the intended audience if it is in any way offensive. 

Some years ago, society became aware of the fact that some phrases, previously considered “humorous,” are in fact offensive to some groups, especially minorities. Using the expression “black sheep,” for example, in brand advertising, as well as damaging to the company’s reputation, is considered prejudice, as it is pejoratively associated with black people. 

Using humor responsibly also helps to position the brand positively in the market and shows that the brand’s advertising language is inclusive and respectful, which aligns with the company’s values and attracts customers who align with such positioning. 

It’s worth noting that if a brand ends up using humorous resources pejoratively, it’s essential for the company to speak up about it, admitting the mistake, reaffirming the brand’s values, taking responsibility and making themselves available to correct it.

Personalization of Humor in Brand Advertising

A study conducted by Kantar IBOPE Media in the first semester of 2023, which monitored podcast consumption in Brazil over a three-month period, showed that humor podcasts are a firm favorite among Brazilians, winning over 37% of respondents.

Although humor is present in other content formats, it can – and also should – be used as a tool for brand advertising. However, the resource must be consistent with the target audience and the company’s values. 

For the use of humor to be effective, it’s important that the content or advertisement reflects the essence of the company and strengthens its values. It’s important to remember that humor cannot be exaggerated to the point of interfering with the message that the brand wants to convey to its consumers. 

For this reason, it’s important for the brand’s digital marketing team to be completely aligned with the brand’s mission to create content that is humorous without invalidating or harming the company. 

Avoiding brand advertising containing sarcasm, derogatory jokes and statements that reinforce stereotypes should be the marketing team’s priority. To create brand advertising aimed at the target audience, it’s necessary, first of all, to understand them. 

It doesn’t make sense to use humorous resources aimed at a male audience, for example, if the majority of your customers are women. 

However, to avoid uncomfortable situations and the loss of engagement, it’s essential for the brand to thoroughly study the profiles and tastes of its consumers at least once a month as the arrival of new customers can also flip it on its head. 

Asking for feedback is a strategy that also helps to understand customer behavior and preferences. It’s also essential to take cultural contexts into account. 

In cases of brands with a global reach, even greater care with the use of humor should be taken in order to avoid xenophobic assertions and offending other nationalities. It’s worth pointing out that if the brand’s focus is to get the customer to purchase a specific product or consume content, humor cannot be the only tool used for this purpose.

The resource can captivate the audience but doesn’t necessarily imply making the choice of acquiring what the brand offers. There are other digital marketing tools aimed at attracting the customer and the consumption of these resources can be more effective.

Harnessing the Power of Humor for Brand Success in Latin America

The power of humorous content in brand advertising in order to attract or retain clients is clear. However, it is even more important to use this language resource with respect and conscientiousness to captivate the customer. It must also be executed  with a well-defined and consolidated strategy in order to be effective for the company. 

Due to the sensitivity and understanding that humor requires in brand advertising, a digital marketing agency in Latin America can effectively contribute to creating assertive and respectful humor usage strategies crafted for brand advertising.