The 2nd Biggest Branding Mistake Organizations Make

Marketing Messages are Way Too Serious

Art Buchwald said, “I learned when I made people laugh, they liked me.”

Study your signage, web copy, and ads. Do they make you laugh or smile? If not, they could be costing you sales.

Inject some humor into your marketing to increase likability.

When Coca-Cola launched Coke Zero, their goal was to convince consumers who didn’t like the Diet Coke taste that this new option was the real thing.

Their ads, which cleverly make that point, have generated a double-digit growth in sales – which constitutes a LOT of money in the $90 billion beverage industry.

A USA Today article lauded their success in a half-page article which pictured their ad, “Tastes so much like Coke, our lawyers have contacted our lawyers” with the flattering caption, “It’s got buzz. Coke Zero ads have scored with a sense of humor.”

Vegetarian alert. Just because you don’t eat meat doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving turkey. Thanks to Turtle Island Foods, you can have a Tofurky (and 270,000 people are expected to do just that by season’s end.) As founder Seth Tibbott says, “We’re fine with the fact that people think it’s funny and get a smile out of it. People remember jokes.”

Saddled with a difficult nickname, the Sioux City, Iowa airport considered asking the FAA if they could change it. In a bold move, they decided to capitalize on their three-letter identifier, SUX, instead of apologize for it. Their new marketing campaign FlyingSUX and its associated line of FlySUX t-shirts and caps have become such a hit, airlines have added flights. “Now the whole world knows about us,” boasts Airport Director Rick McElroy.

The city of Cincinnati understands the power of laughing at yourself. It has an annual Running of the Wieners as part of its annual Octoberfest-Zinzinnati festival. Daschunds wearing hot-dog-bun costumes race across a downtown square to win money for charity. The motto for this popular event? Buns of Squeal.

Is your business not making as much money as it could? Rework your marketing messages to get a laugh - get a sale.