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The Joke’s on Us: Why Brands Fear Being Funny

  • Writer: Asli Cazorla Milla
    Asli Cazorla Milla
  • Sep 30
  • 2 min read

Picture this: you’re watching an ad, it makes you laugh, and you actually remember the brand. Not only remember it, but maybe even like it a little. That’s advertising gold. And yet, for some mysterious reason, those funny ads are slowly disappearing. It’s as if brands are on a collective mission to become as serious and forgettable as possible. The irony? Research keeps proving humour works. It grabs attention, sticks in memory, and makes people share. So why are we killing off something that actually does the job? Maybe we just secretly hate joy(hope not).


I use humour in my classes, trainings and practically everywhere where it suits me the best. Yes, sometimes they get it and sometimes not. But this never stops me trying to be the funny one in the room. I believe we all need to laugh a bit more considering the world we live in nowadays.


But let's go back to the marketing, again. The truth is, humour is risky. A joke that makes one group laugh might make another group start a hashtag against you. Nobody wants to be the brand that gets roasted on Twitter for a clumsy punchline. So marketers choose the “safe” route: stay serious, be bland, offend no one. Problem solved, right? Except the problem isn’t solved, it’s just hidden under a pile of dull campaigns nobody remembers.


Source: GIPHY

Another reason humour is dying is that ads are not written by comedians, they’re written by committees. A joke that sounded great in the creative brief slowly dies in thirty-seven meetings. By the time legal, compliance, and the client’s cousin who “doesn’t really get it” have given feedback, all that’s left is something flatter than yesterday’s soda. And if you add the obsession with short-term results, the picture gets even worse. Jokes take time to build a brand; marketers want numbers right now. Ideally yesterday. Humour doesn’t always translate into an immediate click or a measurable conversion, so it ends up on the cutting room floor.


And then there’s the global problem. What makes people laugh in Spain might earn only confused stares in Germany. So big international brands often play it safe and erase humour altogether. Better to bore everyone equally than risk losing someone with a joke they don’t understand.


But here’s the thing: humour still works. Just check Ryanair social media accounts and you will understand. People don’t share ads because they’re serious and dignified. They share the ones that make them laugh. A funny ad humanizes a brand, breaks through the noise, and makes people feel something beyond the urge to press “skip.” It’s not about turning every campaign into stand-up comedy; it’s about reminding audiences that brands can be people too. And people, last time I checked, like to laugh.


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