A couple of weeks ago, 7-Eleven made a bit of a Social Media misstep when attempting to inject humor into a Facebook post. Here’s a screen of the actual status update:
Funny? Not so much. Tacky and insensitive, but not funny. That’s not the point of this post, however. Regardless of whether or not you find the questionable comment amusing, it leads to a larger issue: What’s the relationship between humor and a brand? Is it safe or advisable to employ humor in any way when speaking or writing on behalf of your company?
In spite of my response to the 7-Eleven post, I think the answer is a qualified “yes.” Injecting humor is a great way to increase brand appeal, capture attention, and engage your audience – as long as it’s used correctly. I do think there are a couple of things to consider before hauling out a bunch of blonde jokes, though, so if you’re looking to post a comment that aims for a chuckle, you might want to think about these tips first.
Before the funny:
Listen for Jiminy. If there’s a little voice in your head advising to think twice about whether to use the joke at all, you should listen. You know the voice: It’s similar to the one that warns you to delete the blistering email before you hit “Send.” And if you let it, that little voice will save you a lot of trouble. If the voice is talking, then you have a niggling doubt about whether the joke is going to play well with certain members of your audience, and that is worth noting. In the example above, I’m fairly certain that the inner Jiminy suggested to the post author that the joke might be seen as insensitive, but if you ignore the cricket, he can’t help you.
Remember your brand. The trick is this. What you personally find funny may not be representative of your company’s brand. No matter how amusing, if it’s not consistent with the voice or style of the company, it may work against what has taken years to establish. Not worth it. 7-Eleven has no relationship to mental health issues so it’s hard to imagine why it was deemed appropriate to lob in on the topic at all. Stick to the Slurpees is my advice. It’s truer to the brand.
If your joke passes the test and can add a laugh while remaining reasonably tasteful and on brand, then you have a chance to laugh with your audience – not at them. That’s the difference.
