Why So Serious? Fuel Social Sharing with Humor
In case you hadn’t noticed, the internet is crowded. With so much content floating around the web, a creative approach is necessary to assure your voice is different and distinctive from the rest. If everyone is playing it safe with their marketing, how will anyone stand out from the crowd? Today, with social media driving a significant and ever-growing amount of website traffic, the key to standing out and getting heard requires creativity and having “The Share Factor.” Lyn referenced this back in December with her post on Voltier Digital’s infographic, “Understanding Viral Content Marketing.” The infographic’s top reason people share content – humor – really stood out to me in the context of social media. Why? Because people love to watch and share content that makes them laugh! Funny marketing campaigns are refreshing and remind viewers to not take life so seriously.
Recently, dairy brand Organic Valley released a hilarious mock PSA video premiering their newest marketing campaign “Save the Bros.” This campaign is a perfect example of how creativity and humor provide the perfect recipe for viral content. The video introduces Organic Valley’s new protein drink Organic Fuel to the world as a way to prevent bros from consuming the artificial junk prevalent in other protein shakes, and in so doing, save bros from extinction. Bro extinction would be tragic proclaims the opening line of the PSA because, “Bros are pretty amazing.” And let’s be honest, a world without bros would be a very sad world, right? This hilarious video goes out of the box by not only appealing to its target market (bros and bro lovers), but by using humor to poke fun at their consumers. Organic Valley also encourages spreading the video with a call to action at the end of the video inviting viewers to share the video with a bro they know. Check it out:
In addition to this engaging and entertaining fake PSA video, Organic Valley took their marketing plan up a notch by creating a website exclusively for their Save the Bros campaign where people can buy merchandise ranging from work out clothes to snapback hats featuring the campaign slogan:
I love the subtlety of these products – the shirts and attire aren’t even branded with the company logo, which may make some people more likely to buy them. The gear promotes the campaign by being provocative, giving it the potential to spark conversations that introduce the viral video to new audiences. In this way, those that wear the products help spread the campaign indirectly. Save The Bros is a great example of a very well thought out, thorough campaign that’s both new and different. Organic Valley dared to do what too many other brands are afraid of – be creative!
Now I understand that not every company feels comfortable incorporating humor into their marketing strategy, but if you think you can pull it off, why not give it a try?! So what do you think, did I convince you to try something different with your next marketing plan? Let me know in the comments below!
