“Puns are the droppings of soaring wits,” Victor Hugo is supposed to have said. Executed well, they can win over a crowd. Done poorly, and, well, they’re just droppings.
Here are a few brands that have tried their hand at being punny – the good, the bad and the ugly.
Charmin

The toilet paper brand is not shy about making butt and poop jokes (see its hashtag #tweetsfromtheseat). And we’ve got to hand it to Charmin for this Thor, prince of Asguard, pun. Although it’s underestimating its readers with the “#SeeWhatWeDidThere” hashtag.

This played-out pun will always bring to mind the awesome “Super Troopers” meow scene. Since no one can outdo that apotheosis of cinematic greatness, no one should even try. All right, meow?

Yup, we see what you did there. Bonus points for showing restraint and not actually using the #Movember hashtag, like say, Arby’s.

Oh brother. That’s your best pun? Let’s not play this game then, Applebee’s.

OK, fine. It’s hard to get mad at a dog in an awesome costume.
Image via Shutterstock
More in Marketing
How the MAHA movement influenced food and beverage brands in 2025
The MAHA movement has come to stand for different things in different people’s eyes, depending on which initiatives they most closely follow.
Why Georgia-Pacific is turning its programmatic scrutinty to the sell side
The company is turning its attention to the sell side, zeroing in on the ad tech firms that move inventory for publishers — the supply-side platforms.
Future of Marketing Briefing: Why ‘just good enough’ is generative AI’s real threat to marketers
When characters and mascots are allowed to live inside generative systems, they stop being event-based and start becoming environmental.