The humour effect drives better recall of information because content that is either funny, witty or a bit bonkers boosts people’s memory. It works hard to help people remember everything from spoken information or visual information. There are two main benefits to using humour, increased attention and improved retention. 

Increased attention


We all remember the Old Spice ad

When Old Spice released their “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” ad they used humour to keep you hooked on the story and focused on the product from beginning to end. Doing this was especially important for a brand that needs you actively remember them when you go to a physical retail environment.

Improved retention


This is an unforgettable Kmart ad

Kmart used the ‘sounds like’ approach in their “Ship My Pants” Kmart ad to reinforce their online shipping service. They found a humorous way of getting the word “Ship” into almost every line of the ad. This meant that the same message was repeatedly delivered but not in an unobtrusive or annoying way. Just enough so that it would stick with you.

A bit about us


As an agency, influencing behaviours is core to what we do and applying Behavioural Economics to marketing communications is a natural progression. If you are interested in understanding more about how we do this get in touch now.

Find out more about the connection between consumers and behavioural economics in our latest report on the top trends driving consumer behaviour. Download it here.