Laughter, Brands & the Great British Public

I’m struck by how laughter connects you with people. It’s almost impossible to maintain any kind of distance, any sense of social hierarchy when you are just howling with laughter. Laughter is a force for democracy
John Cleese

Humour has long been used as a powerful tool for brand communications and long understood to create memorability and likeability. But can it do more than that and is it underused?

There are lots of opinion pieces on humour but little tangible and objective research about how people respond to different types of humour, how humour works beyond memorability and what lasting impact it can have on brands. To answer these questions we conducted an online survey segmenting humour types in the UK, a range of consumer workshops understanding these in more detail and a series of interviews with experts in the comedy business to place our findings in context. The results are essential learnings for brand owners and their agencies in all sectors, whether to use in their communications or merely to understand the pulse of the nation.