Funny Gets Noticed.
I use humor quite a bit in my work. Partly because that's just the way my brain works — but it turns out there actually are practical reasons for it.
Research into humor in advertising has repeatedly found that, when it's appropriate for the audience and the message, humor can help capture attention, make advertising more enjoyable, create positive feelings and make the message more memorable.
In other words, there really is some math behind this particular method.
Okay, But What Does the Research Actually Say?
Research Relationships Analyzed
A major meta-analysis of advertising research found that humor can significantly improve attention, positive feelings and attitudes toward an advertisement.
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science
of North American Respondents
In Nielsen's global advertising research, humor was the most appealing advertising message type among respondents in North America.
Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising Survey
Does Funny Automatically Mean More Sales?
Humor can help get someone's attention and make a message more enjoyable or memorable. But it can't rescue a bad offer, the wrong audience, poor pricing or a message nobody understands.
They need to remember your business — not just the joke.
Direct Mail and Digital Aren't Competitors.
If social media, email or other digital marketing is already working for your business, I'm not going to tell you to stop using it.
Direct mail gives you another way to reach people — and research suggests that physical and digital advertising have different strengths.
In Their Hands.
Research comparing physical and digital advertising found that physical ads performed particularly well in areas involving memory, emotional response and lasting impact.
On Their Screen.
Digital advertising showed its own strength — particularly in capturing focused attention during the initial exposure.
That's why this doesn't have to be an either/or decision.
Use each one for what it does well.
So What Did the Research Find?
Research conducted by Temple University's Center for Neural Decision Making in partnership with the U.S. Postal Service compared how people responded to physical and digital advertising.
Physical advertising was remembered more quickly and confidently.
Physical advertising produced stronger emotional reactions.
Physical advertising created a more lasting impression.
Digital advertising performed particularly well at capturing focused attention.
Source: Temple University Center for Neural Decision Making / U.S. Postal Service research
