Does Humour Attract Clients?

Hey everyone, I'm currently developing my marketing skills and I'm looking at humour in marketing campaigns. This is a video from a B2B company called Fresh Mover, a start-up business that's combining data with direct mail marketing. Sounds boring I know but I thought it was a funny video:

http://www.virginmediabusiness.co.uk/pitch-to-rich/start-up/fresh-mover/

Do you think this is amusing? Or do you have any tips on how this could be improved? Oh & if you vote for them or share their video, they get to pitch to Richard Branson, so I'm sure they'd appreciate your vote!

 

I think humor works more effectively for younger audiences (18 - 25). As a guy in my 40's I don't necessarily find humor (humorous commercials, humorous business videos) engaging. But that's just my subjective opinion.

 

People buy from people they like. If you make a person laugh, they will generally like you. However, be aware of your demographic. Humor to an older demo can be significantly different than humor to a younger crowd. Plus, if you ham it up too much, then the potential client may cease to take you seriously.

 

Humor is definitely a plus but not required IMO. Personally I enjoy reading them and i think it helps in attracting subscriber somehow but it should not be a requirement.

I know a few people who are successful in marketing who are "serious" in relaying their messages.

 

Most US customers like jokes, like funny pics and vids and like when you talk to them in a friendly and funny manner. But when you are dealing with their problems, you better be serious. The latter was more about customer service, not about marketing, but still

 

That's true, jokes work differently on different cultures or religions some find it offensive and others find it funny.
Even nerdy jokes look boring, for few people only get the joke. And also with age, that's obvious because of maturity.
But most people get amused by the actions in the ad. For me I find the ad fine but a little weird. Try adding more action, and transform some words to somewhat like a subtitle like. Like Charlie Chaplin movies.

 

Humor definitely generates buzz... But customers? I'd like to see some conversion stats on that!

 

It definitely generates interest, but whether or not people are encouraged to buy a product will depend on the individual. I'm sure it can lead to sales, but I would never buy a product just because it was promoted in a humorous way.

 

Humor can be a very quite effective marketing technique and it also can be totally inappropriate. It really depends on what you are pitching and to whom. For example, if you are promoting a charitable cause to help disabled children, humor will likely not work. On the other hand, if you are promoting an entertainment activity, humor might be a good way to go. Bottomline, there is no "rule of thumb" for your question. It all depends...

Also, something that is funny today, may be stale tomorrow. And, different audiences may vary in reaction to what you think is humor. So, humor has to be carefully targeted and implemented when chosen as an approach to marketing.

 

Quality overrides humour!

Humour is not needed, but when it's good, humour can add to the quality.
I'm 40+ as well and I think of "Gagnam style" with quite much humour and the more boring, but not less successful, "Epic split" with Jean-Claude van Damm for Volvo precision steering, the truck-ad, you know.

With good quality, anything goes! With or without humour!

 

The use of humor in marketing can help attract the attention of people. It's effectiveness in capturing one's interest will depend on a number of factors, including the product/service being offered and the target market. However, humor does not guarantee sales. Humor alone cannot turn leads into actual customers.

 

Humor can definitely lead to sales. I know I have spent money on stuff that is sold in a humorous way. But I don't use it myself much, since nobody really gets my humor. It's either too strange, or maybe too sophisticated for most (I wish )

 

Humor is an important human relations technique that creates a shared moment, builds rapport and triggers pleasant memories. Using humor in your advertising (videos, spot ads) or in your direct contact with potential customers can aid in attracting them. Find ways to introduce non-offensive jokes or light humor in your day-to-day contact with customers.