Humor is subjective, of course, but some pieces of content are universally funny. For this week’s installment, we looked at five pieces of branded content that put a smile on my face. If you see other funny pieces of branded content, link them in the comments below or email me.
Brand: Outlook.com
Publisher: Deadspin
Content: The Lazy Man’s Guide to Email
Seinfeld summed it up perfectly in his bit about those of us who wear sweatpants in public have given up. And while sloth is one of the Seven Deadly sins, it can be hysterical to watch your lazy friends struggle to get off the couch to grab a beer. Outlook appeals to our slothful side with this piece of content on Deadspin. As someone who appreciates wearing sweatpants, I chuckled at this piece of branded content giving five tips on making “email manageable for even the laziest among us.” But not too much, because then I’d be exerting too much energy. No one wants that.
Brand: Geico
Publisher: BuzzFeed
Content: 18 Hilarious Inanimate Objects With Facial Expressions
Inanimate objects can be heroes (see: Inanimate Carbon Rod). When an inanimate object becomes anthropomorphized, how can you not laugh? Geico and BuzzFeed take us down an enjoyable path, highlighting some inanimate objects that would make any comedian who relies on facial expressions to make their own facial expression.
Brand: Taco Bell
Content: Is This Real Life?
Say what you will about Taco Bell’s food, but it sure knows funny. In this image on the brand’s Facebook page, the brand took an embarrassing sign from one of its restaurants, added a bit of Internet memery text, and voila!
Brand: Virgin Mobile
Publisher: BuzzFeed
Content: 22 Germans Who Can’t Handle October
Germans, we all know, are known for two things: having the best sense of humor of any people on Earth and drinking lots and lots of beer. Virgin Mobile and BuzzFeed shows us what happens when the two collide.
Brand: LG
Content: So Real it’s Scary
There are few things funnier than watching unsuspecting people be scared. In this spot, LG creates fake elevator floors out of their screens and records people’s reactions as the floors fall out from under them. Surprising (or not, since, you know ACTING!) that no one screamed.
Image via Shutterstock
More in Marketing
WTF is the CMA — the Competition and Markets Authority
Why does the CMA’s opinion on Google’s Privacy Sandbox matter so much? Stick around to uncover why.
Marketing Briefing: How the ‘proliferation of boycotting’ has marketers working understand the real harm of brand blockades
While the reasons for the boycotts vary, there’s a recognition among marketers now that a brand boycott could happen regardless of their efforts – and for reasons outside of marketing and advertising – that will need to be dealt with.
Temu’s ad blitz exposes DTC turmoil: decoding the turbulent terrain
DTC marketers are pointing fingers at Temu, attributing the sharp surge in advertising costs across Meta’s ad platforms to its ad dollars.