‘No one gets fired for buying IBM’ is a good old business saying about making a safe choice. And it couldn’t be more relevant for a marketing industry that’s going through a bit of a tough time. The appetite for risk is low. Clients (and agencies) are trying not to rock the boat while everyone clings on to a job. The upshot of this is we have more vanilla work than ever before.

Unfortunately, we all know how this ends (does anybody buy IBM software these days?). The safe path isn’t as safe as it seems. It comes at a cost. Brands with dull advertising need to spend 7.3% more on media to get the same engagement as a humorous ad. Based on the UK’s total media spend, that would be an extra £9.3 million per brand on average. So in an industry that’s currently obsessed with counting the pennies, we may be looking at the wrong places to ‘cut costs’.

So being dull isn’t going to save us, perhaps humour will?

Humour is often misunderstood as the opposite of seriousness. In reality, it’s the antidote to dullness. In sectors where caution is the default, finance, healthcare, government services, humour doesn’t have to mean slapstick or silliness. It’s a tonal lever, a way to make human connection easier, faster, and more enduring.

We know humour boosts recall. People remember what makes them feel something, and laughter is one of the most potent emotional hooks.

It also builds trust. A brand willing to be human feels more relatable, less corporate. Even a dry, understated wit signals confidence and authenticity. It’s like when someone new starts in your office. They’re all formal and professional to begin with, but it’s only when they start to have a laugh that you truly know they’re actually alright.

Humour is also a bit of a cheat code. We know from behavioural science that humour lowers defences and increases openness to persuasion. A light smile can open the door for a serious conversation.

Understanding the spectrum of humour

One of the biggest misconceptions is that humour equals “jokes.” In reality, there’s a spectrum: From charming, self-deprecating, intellectual to dry, dark and visual, there are many paths to explore. The trick is finding what’s right for your brand. Then you can dial up or down the comedic temperature without completely scaring everyone in the room.

‘I’m scared of my boss. They will kill me if I make them smile.’

Selling or buying advertising with humour can be difficult. But difficulty is normally the first sign it’s the right thing to do. There are a couple of things that can make it a little easier. The first is remembering that using humour isn’t about selling it as a gimmick. We’re only using it because it works (as mentioned above). It’s all about reframing it as a strategic tool for cut-through and behavioural impact. Any humorous advertising must be based on solid strategic foundations. 

Remember, humour is the device to create better recall, build trust and make people more open to being persuaded. This means the sell before you show any work can and should be rational and logical. You should have everyone nodding along like they’re at a Black Sabbath gig before you make them wet themselves with laughter at your solution. That way, they can’t argue with why you’ve got to where you’ve got to. Or they will and have to spend the rest of the meeting explaining why they were nodding for so long.

‘But we don’t use humour in our sector. We’re meant to be dull, aren’t we?’

If no one is using humour amongst your competitors, then you have a huge advantage. The fact that no one is doing it is even more of a reason to do it. For example, Gillette, Wilkinson Sword, and BIC all took shaving very seriously. It had to be a man in a mirror stroking their baby-soft chin after an effortless shave. One ad merged into the next. That’s what the sector did. Until Dollar Shave Club launched with their humorous ‘Our blades are f***ing great’ ad. It cut through in a very blunt shaver market and was the catalyst to their eventual sale to Unilever for 1 billion dollars. So, if you have a dull sector, humour can not only save you money it could even make you some too.

‘This is a marketing article and he’s not mentioned AI?’

Humour isn’t easy to write. Again, it’s probably a sign it’s the right thing to do. So there will be many things AI will master before it comes to comedy writing. Boring copy, tick. Soulless waffle, tick. Factual stat-based copy, tick. Ironically, comedy writing is something the industry is in short supply of. The craft of funny writing needs to be nurtured. We’ve had year after year of universities pumping out students that can do taboo subjects, products that never see the light of day and experiences that no one wants to experience. It’s like being funny was too small, not serious enough. But it’s this ability that we’re crying out for. Comedy requires empathy, timing, and a deep understanding of audience psychology. The new world, once AI takes a firm hold, will be for those who can make people feel.

So, in these turbulent times, I’d urge you to consider humour. Not as a frivolous add-on but as a serious way to cut through and make a connection. It will save you money. Maybe ask yourself how much the beige tax is really costing you? But money aside, isn’t the world a better place with more smiles?

“We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do”, Mother Teresa.