Humour in PR: A Growing Necessity?

The speed of meme marketing is crucial than ever to stay relevant. Today, brands must navigate a landscape where meme marketing is not just a trend but a vital strategy for engagement. Studies reveal that 64 per cent of consumers prefer shopping from brands they can connect with emotionally, and humour is a significant driver of this connection.

To leverage this psychological aspect, brands – both multinationals and startups – are chasing to win a moment of virality. Humour can be a powerful tool to help brands build rapport and become more relatable, like Duolingo, which utilized its sassy owl mascot and pop culture references to maximize engagement on their social media.

Role of PR in the meme landscape

PR has always championed authenticity and empathy, unlike traditional marketing and advertising. But driving through this wave of authenticity, every brand wants to hit it out of the park and hence is counting on their PR teams to land them the most engaging content pieces infused with humour. For instance, KFC’s “FCK” campaign during the 2018 chicken shortage in the U.K. cleverly turned a crisis into an opportunity by humorously acknowledging the situation.

Using humour requires finesse. While humour adds excitement and relatability, poorly executed jokes can lead to PR disasters. A classic example is American Apparel, which faced massive backlash for its insensitive promotional campaign called #SandySale, launched during the Sandy Hurricane. This campaign encouraged consumers to shop during the storm, saying, “In case you are bored during the storm.” The public outrage over this campaign resulted in severe damage to the brand’s reputation.

The evolving skill set in PR

These ‘humour gone wrong’ cases for the brands also raise an intriguing question- Are we fast approaching a time when job descriptions of PR job roles will explicitly list “sense of humour” and “quirky thinking” as essential attributes to have? Such a shift could soon lead to a new breed of PR professionals adept at meme creation and cultural commentary.

Companies might adopt methods like situational questions and improv exercises to evaluate a candidate’s sense of humour during the interview process. These methods ensure prospective hires can think creatively and respond to cultural moments with wit—good enough to keep their social media buzzing.

As humour becomes integral to PR strategies, professionals will also need to develop a few additional skills, such as a strong understanding of current trends, cultural references, and cultural sensitivity, and an ability to craft narratives that can stand out in the crowded digital world. The most important skill set, however, is Resilience. Given the unpredictable nature of social media, being able to navigate criticism, learn, and try again will be the key to a PR professional’s success.

Authenticity vs. Relatability

As brands don the mask of humour, will real authenticity get overshadowed? With every brand striving to appear fun, will a simple, authentic message be lost in the chatter?

Gen Zs and Millennials represent the largest consumer base for today’s brands. As brand narratives increasingly focus on these demographics, it is crucial for companies to also grow and evolve in tandem with their consumers’ values and experiences.

Ten years from now, engaging this group will require more than just humour, relatability, and authenticity; it will necessitate a 360-degree understanding of their beliefs, preferences, values, and social issues.

Cycle of trends

History has a way of repeating itself. Brands may revert to serious tones or seek new ways to define authenticity beyond humour. With every brand perceived as fun, hip, and relatable—a sense of sameness might set in that will feel disingenuous.

The influencer era is often deemed overdone. Will meme marketing follow the same suit? If so, what’s the next big wave that will emerge in its wake?

As PR professionals increasingly incorporate humour into their communication copies, they must remain vigilant and understand the balancing act of relatability with genuine messaging—ensuring that the brand’s authenticity is not lost and remains at the heart of its communications.