The purpose of any brand video is to capture the attention of your audience, and one of the most common and simplest ways to achieve this is through the use of comedy.
Think about your personal preference - the most memorable commercials are often the ones that make you laugh, right? Sure a heartwarming video about a puppy finally being adopted grabs our attention, but will we be referencing it long after it's finished airing? Most likely not.
To explore this further, here are 10 brand videos that have successfully used comedy to engage their audience.
1. "It's Jake, from State Farm"
Let's be honest, insurance is not the most exciting service on the market, so it makes sense that they would want to liven up their brand videos with some comedic relief. In this well-known commercial, State Farm is informing their audience that they are open late, even at 3 am, with a miscommunication between a married couple which takes a surprisingly - for first time viewers - wholesome turn in the end.
2. "What the French Toast"
Who remembers this Orbit gum commercial? Everyone. That's because it's so creative and hilarious that it's been embedded into our brains and quoted constantly. This is the type of brand content that audiences will continue to remember for years to come. To take what would've been an HR nightmare and turn it into a playground quarrel. This is a genius creative twist to the traditional "soap opera" scenario.
3. "He's definitely getting a rose"
These Clorox bleachable moment TV spots are created specifically to air during the "Bachelorette" and poke fun at the show. This video makes fun of the "bachelorette/bachelor" dating style by showing the "bachelorette's" date go from intimate to awkward in just a few short seconds. The date gets interrupted when two of her other "boyfriends" catch her with grass stains on her back. To cut the tension one of her "boyfriends" adds some comic relief with a good one-liner.
4. "You're not you when you're hungry"
Snickers brand commercials have been going strong for years now, with their "you're not you when you're hungry" campaign. They just keep getting funnier, whether it be the Betty White football player, the Robin Williams coach or the Roseanne Barr lumberjack, these commercials will always grab our attention and make us wonder who we are when we're hungry?
5. "Why do we always have to take your mom's car?"
Volkswagen's are generally known as safe cars and they want you to be sure of it when watching this video. We see a woman driving around in a car decked out with speakers, a high spoiler, tinted windows and unique paint job with loud music pumping. As the audience watches her drive from the grocery store down the street we wonder why this refined woman driving this "pimped out" car, once her daughter comes home with her boyfriend it's apparent that this mother felt that her daughter was safer in her Volkswagen.
6. "Dolphins are unable to smell"
Snapple "Real Facts" are always interesting and keep us guessing how true they really are. The brand's commercials are great at engaging with their audience by bringing their facts to life, in bizarre and entertaining ways. This video shows a dolphin - in a department store fragrance aisle - continuously testing the perfume. When the clerk finally comes up to her, it's revealed that dolphins indeed, can't smell.
7. "I apologize it's on the card"
Few things are funnier than when someone pokes fun at themselves - especially when that person is a celebrity. With that being said, who remembers Steve Harvey's Miss Universe flub from 2015? Well, he took the criticism like a champ and even helped T-Mobile out with their commercial by reading what "was on the card" with last years stats on it. What makes this even funnier is that it was aired only a few short months after the Miss Universe incident, so the news was still somewhat relevant, T-Mobile was smart to take advantage of it while it was still fresh.
8. "Is he looking"
"Sour. Sweet. Gone." Sour patch kids videos are always full of entertaining and memorable moments, they take pranking to a whole new level. This video shows the sour patch kids embarrassing a girl at a party by cutting her heel - forcing her to fall into a kiddie pool. The worst part about this is that everyone at the party witnessed her epic fall, including her crush. But, as per usual they become sweet and make everything "ok" by putting cucumber slices on her eyes as if she meant to make the kiddie pool a makeshift spa. The best part about all these videos is that the person always forgives the sour patch kids in the end.
9. "It's the future!"
Doritos has been producing funny and entertaining content for years, which is why it should be no surprise that one of their videos made our list. One of their funniest of their videos, in our opinion, is the one with the "time machine". Jimmy creates a time machine and sends his neighbor, Mr. Smith, to the future. Once he "arrives" Mr. Smith thinks he is meeting Jimmy's older self. Basically, Doritos is saying that they're so good they're out of this realm.
10. "Can you see me?"
Another funny insurance commercial comes from Nationwide teaming up with actress Mindy Kaling. Mindy walks around Manhattan doing things that are taboo, like eating an entire carton of ice cream in the grocery store, bathing in a car wash and invading Matt Damon's personal space - all because she believes that she's invisible. Nationwide's goal in this video is to let each and every one of their customers know that they are the brand's top priority. The awkward interaction between the two actors at the end is what makes this video standout.
Each of these videos has a unique message that is portrayed through comedy. The companies use comedic relief to tell their brand stories, leaving a more memorable image for their target audience. The most successful use of comedy for brand videos is one that relates to your brand and audience.