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Laughing With Us

January 30, 2014 By Jill Of All Trades Leave a comment

We are laughing...

©iStock.com/WilleeCole


There are some who say that mathematics is the universal language. But I, for one, don’t find anything particularly universal about a language that uses frustrated sobs like punctuation.
You see, I don’t need math. If I go a day without calculating something, I’ll be just fine. Hell, I’d even go so far as to say a day without math is a good day. How can something be universal if I – cough Liberal Arts major cough – can live without it?
Know what I can’t live without, though? Laughter.
Milton Berle once said that laughter is an instant vacation. Not only is it an escape, it’s cathartic. I don’t just want to laugh – I need to laugh. And guess what? So do your customers.
Recently, we wrote and produced a piece for our Synthetec brand automatic transmission fluid. It’s a good product. In fact, we test each transmission we sell with it. But there’s nothing sexy or memorable about transmission fluid.
So why not take that preconceived notion and flip it on its head?


When done correctly – as in “not in an offensive way” or, like, “actually funny” – humor in marketing can be extremely effective.
Funny is memorable. Some of the most unforgettable ads of the past century have relied upon humor. The best ads make you laugh and think by taking a point of pain and solving it in an ingenious, unexpected, or downright silly way.
Funny is shareable. When you look at some of the most viral websites around – Buzzfeed, Funny or Die, and countless number of schtick blogs on Tumblr – it’s easy to see that people want to share things that make them laugh.
Funny is honest. Who do you trust more: a company telling you what you need or a person giving their opinion? Humor humanizes your brand. It adds a personality – including flaws and vulnerabilities – that makes your product far more relatable.
And funny is universal. (And not math.)
So why not give them what they need (a good laugh) while selling them the products that they need (your stuff, specifically)?
 



Jill of All Trades Aimee Brock knows a few things about being funny. In fact, she’s listed them all in this article. That’s it. She can go home now. Oh, also, she’s one of the Huffington Post’s “18 Funny Women You Should Be Following on Twitter” and a contributor on WitStream. So I guess that’s cool, too.  Leave a comment below or email Aimee!

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