B2B marketing has long carried a reputation for austerity. Serious, factual, almost cold… Yet, professionals also like to smile! Better still, the right amount of humor is a powerful tool for humanizing your brand, capturing attention, and anchoring your message in people’s minds. So why are so many companies still hesitant to use it? Let’s dissect the impact of humor in B2B marketing and how to make it a real asset.

Here are some effective approaches:

1. Playing on the absurd to illustrate a problem

Exaggeration is a great way to illustrate now that you know the basics a common frustration and humorously offer a solution. For example, an email campaign might show a salesperson sending carrier pigeons to highlight the ineffectiveness of a poor prospecting tool.

2. Self-deprecation: an underestimated asset

Brands that dare to poke fun at themselves create a strong sense of connection with their audience. A company that acknowledges its effective use of virtual reality in innovative advertising campaigns own flaws—with a touch of humor—immediately appears more authentic and relatable. Smart Content can help you strike the right balance between irony and professionalism.

3. Integrate cultural references

A nod to a TV series, a popular meme, or a current trend immediately captures attention. Who hasn’t smiled at an advertisement that rips off a classic line from a film?

4. Gamification and interaction

Offer quizzes, word games, or humorous  fax lead challenges to your audience. This encourages engagement and makes the user experience more entertaining.

Examples of B2B brands that have dared

Some companies have brilliantly integrated humor into their communication:

  • Slack , with its absurd advertising videos about communication problems in business.
  • Burger King , the king of humor in marketing, never ceases to surprise with the offbeat tone of its advertising campaigns.
  • Dropbox , which uses humorous staging to simplify file management in its marketing campaigns.
  • Zendesk , which uses funny scenarios to illustrate the challenges of customer service.