I have seen too many marketers treat humor like a punchline or a gamble. It is neither. It is a tool—and a very under-leveraged one by brands reluctant to be less than professional. That is ironic. Humor in marketing is not jokes told in an effort to be humorous. It is wearing a personality in a category where too much of it is robotic.
When I was working at a fintech company, they didn’t want to roll out a frivolous budgeting campaign. “Too frivolous,” they argued. I was against it. We rolled out a meme-filled carousel aimed at Gen Z and in a week propelled their story engagements by 43%. That was when they understood: humour is not frivolous—it’s memorable.
The Money Behind Laughter: What is RPM, Really
Let me explain, reach is great, but revenue-driving reach is even better. If your gut-busting TikTok gets 100,000 views with no cash flowing through, it’s giving away gratis laughter. That’s where I start talking about metrics—specifically, RPM (Revenue per Mille). It’s one of the most muddled terms in content marketing and especially in video.
One of our clients asked me once, “Any use in being humorous if we are selling nothing through video?” I showed them their channel statistics. Their RPM through humorous ones was averaging to be 47% higher than serious ones. If even you are wondering what is rpm and how jokes contribute to it, this description outlines how punchlines make profits in the background.
When humor works, not only does it entertain—but it makes money. That’s magic.
What is Your Flavor of Funny?
There is this false premise about funny meaning outrageous. It doesn’t. Wearing a chicken getup is not required to be funny. There is sarcastic, there is dry, there is absurd, there is witty, and there is satirical—and each one is best applied to different brands. A student of mine was in a DTC skincare business. She employed self-deprecating jokes and joked about hormonal breakouts in a refreshingly candid manner. The comment section went nuts.
Marketing humour is most effective when it mirrors what is in the customer’s head, what frustrates them and what they are thinking. Memes are not magic. They only work when they mirror the culture of one audience and not of one feed.
When Sarcasm Doesn’t Work
Let me be real—comedy can go horribly wrong in your direction. And by horribly wrong, I mean PR-fail, trending-for-the-wrong-people bad, cancel-worthy bad. I have been guilty myself of approving a tweet for a client that was too close to a breaking news headline. It was in bad taste, but it was also in bad timing. We took it down an hour later, but replies were already full of proof.
That is not to say you should walk on eggshells. But do be aware of the line. Marketing humor works because it is a risk on vulnerability. Just don’t risk ignorance. Always test culturally sensitive material, and if a joke needs too much explaining, it’s probably not worth telling.
Developing Brand Identity Through Humour
Did it ever occur to you why companies such as Wendy’s and Duolingo have this peculiarily devoted fanbase! That is where humor is long-term heavy-lifting. The jokes are just the surface—what is actually taking place is identity building. They’re selling a vibe, not products.
When a brand is funny on a consistent basis, it conditions people to anticipate being entertained. That anticipation creates loyalty. I have seen brands build naturally without spending a nickel on ads because their stuff was shareable, memeable and—most important of all—worth discussing. Humor is a low-cost trust builder with a high return on investment.
Bringing Humor to Funnels (And Yes, Funnels)
If you think humour has no place in conversion funnels, let me ask you this: How long has it been since you didn’t receive a witty subject line in your email inbox?
I always recommend beginning small: headlines, CTA buttons, captions. A client changed “Subscribe now” to “Join the rebellion” and overnight their open rates went up by 26%. A tiny joke goes a long way.
Even in retargeting ads, a bit of absurdity can break down defenses people build. A fitness client put in their cart-abandonment emails a line like “Yes, we saw you sneak a peek. Now return.” CTR went up 33%. This is advertising irony at its best: disarming rather than distracting.
Humor Is a Calculated Skill
What most marketers forget is that humor is precise. You’re not funny for funny’s sake; you’re funny in order to influence behavior. That demands timing, knowledge of your audience, and restraint. One of the longest-running myths is that you can’t be taught to be humorous. I don’t believe it.
Several students “blessed with a sense of humor” have written side-splitting, successful advertisements by learning tone, test-driving copy, and appropriating audience slang. If you’re a straight arrow by nature, play it up. If you’re wild, polish it. There’s space for any style if it’s deliberate. The moment when you start taking humor like a profession—on par with SEO or UX—then you’ll quit improvising and begin to get paid for it.
FAQs
Does humor in marketing actually improve conversion rates?
Yes, especially when tailored to the audience’s tone and culture. Humor improves emotional resonance, which makes calls-to-action more effective.
Is humor effective across all industries?
Not always. In highly regulated or sensitive sectors, subtle or dry humor is safer. But even there, a touch of humanity goes a long way.
How do I test if my humor is working?
Look at engagement metrics—CTR, watch time, shares. If your funny post is getting laughs but no clicks, tweak the CTA. Humor needs direction, not just delivery.
