As the old adage says: “Laughter is the best medicine.” Everyone enjoys a good laugh. In the digital world we live in today, funny videos tend to be the crown jewel of viral video marketing. Just look at the YouTube trending list: Outside of political videos, it’s chock full of humorous content on a daily basis.
The Psychology Behind Humor
As a HubSpot blog post puts it, “Humor is a way to sell your brand without outwardly selling something, and consumers certainly don’t want to feel like you’re taking money right out of their pockets. By appealing to a consumer’s emotions you’re able to engage them and make them remember you.”
The key here is that humor is a powerful tool to engage and connect with consumers through a positive emotion. It’s even backed by science (yes, science!). According to Psychology Today, “Laughter releases endorphins, which makes us feel good about ourselves and others. This good feeling creates a bond between two people and imbues a sense of togetherness in groups.” By including humor in your video marketing, you will inherently be making a psychological association between humor and your brand’s essence.
Let’s look at a couple of real life examples:
Thrillist and Smith and Forge Take on Muscle Beach
Thrillist partnered with the hard cider brand, Smith and Forge, to create a viral video where professional CrossFit athlete Kenneth Leverich disguises himself as an old man to work out at Muscle Beach. Hilarity ensues as viewers cannot believe they see an old man pumping iron so incredibly. The internet laughed at the reactions of the other weightlifters, ultimately resulting in a native video that was viewed on Facebook more than 94 million times at the time of this writing. Smith and Forge got their money’s worth, as they successfully associated their “Hard Won” branding with a massively viral and hilarious video.
Our Blades Are F****** Great!
This strategy is how Dollar Shave Club propelled themselves from a no-name startup to a legitimate brand for men’s grooming. Their first ad was a YouTube video titled, “Our Blades Are F****** Great!”, which was hilarious and over-the-top, and ultimately highlighted the product benefit. This video was so well received that it brought in 12,000 customers within the first two days of going live. Their viral marketing success most likely had a hand in their subsequent $1 billion purchase by Unilever.
If you want to run a highly viral video campaign, look to humor as a strategy. It will enlist a positive emotional association between your brand and the consumer. Additionally, when done right, it clearly drives business results, whether that’s awareness or sales.
Here at Rip Media Group, we know that all successful marketing videos start with a great story – and that’s where we come in! Reach out to us today to set up your free consultation.
Remember, your story starts here!