Giggles to growth: Comedy genre is taking centre stage in branded content

With the attention spans dwindling, the comedy genre content has witnessed a rapidly growing interest from brands, be it influencers-led content or regular branded content.

Even in GroupM’s recently released ‘Top 100 Digital Stars List for 2023’, one genre of influencers that have stood out amid tech, travel and beauty is “comedy”.

Vijay Koshy

As per Vijay Koshy, President, TVF, humour or comedy makes people remember stories and content more relatable as opposed to other genres such as action, sci-fi, horror, etc.

“If content has a humour angle attached to it, then it is much easier for the piece to travel when compared to other genres which are perceived to be more intense. And that is the reason why brands tend to associate with comedy branded content all the more today,” he said.

In an earlier interaction with BuzzInContent.com, Kunal Sawant, Business Head- Goat, GroupM India, had said, “Given the presence of enough drama in one’s life, a person comes to social media for entertainment or infotainment, is one big reason for comedy influencers’ growing popularity.”

He added, “Take, for instance, individuals like Saloni Gaur, Viraj Ghelani, or the well-known Aiyyo Shraddha, aka Shraddha Jain. They excel in producing authentic content that seamlessly incorporates brands. Whether enjoying ice cream at home, using a particular oil, or embarking on family trips, their brand integrations feel exceptionally natural, never causing a disconnect with their audience. The key, ultimately, lies in not rushing to incorporate the brand within the initial 5 seconds of the content.”

“With the category and brands wanting to create a long-term impact, humour is the best possible route that one can use when it comes to connecting with the audiences because comedy content is far more attractive or even at a very base level tends to appeal to a much wider audience,” Koshy said.

Gautam Reddy

As per Gautam Reddy, Founder and CEO, PAD, there are specific customer behaviour patterns that are seen in the customers who interact with humorous branded content, some of which include, increased intent to purchase and recommend, change of brand perception, increased share and engagement.

“As compared to other genres, humour has a cross-genre appeal for brands owing to it being universal appeal in nature which essentially means that be it jokes or comedy, both have a universal language and therefore are not restricted to cultural, linguistic or generational barriers. Secondly, there are very rare occasions when the customers restrict themselves to share the comedy content, unlike other genres which are restricted to only selected segments of the audience,” he opined.

Anushree Jain

As per Anushree Jain, Co-Founder, Social Tag, as well, the biggest reason behind the growing demand for branded comedy content is the fact that people love humour and in coming up with such content, brands can not only subtly talk about serious issues but also establish the much needed universal connection with its audiences.

“It constantly brings in more engagement than any other genre especially when the audience feels that human connection with it. This not only helps the brand stand out but remains longer with the audience. It brings in creativity and allows them to connect with the audience while giving them both entertainment and information,” she said.

Krunal Kanabar

NoFiltr Group’s Head of Strategy and IP, Krunal Kanabar, believes that humour has become a powerhouse for engagement as the relatability and universal appeal of comedy not only make it a fan favourite but also a metric standout.

“From the sheer number of views to the avalanche of likes, shares, and comments, the numbers consistently show that branded comedy content is leading the pack.
And let's face it – in a world bombarded with information, a good laugh is like a breath of fresh air. On top of it, comedy content has this magical ability to break down barriers and create a genuine connection because people not only enjoy watching humorous brand content but actively participate in sharing it. There's a unique pattern here – consumers willingly become part of the brand narrative when it's delivered with a sprinkle of humour,” he said.

Having said that, brands tread the comedy branded content path quite cautiously as it tends to get edgy sometimes. A content piece can be humorous for some and insensitive for others.

Koshy stated that today one can break comedy content into multiple brackets with individuals such as Danish Sait, Saloni Gaur and Bhuvan Bam amongst many others relying on comedy content solely and while some of them are very sober in doing comedy, some are a little edgy as well.

This in his view is one of the reasons why brands may be a little hesitant in associating with some comedy content creators.

Kanabar too emphasised that brands need to steer clear of stereotypes and collaborate with creators who understand the nuances of diverse cultural contexts, ensuring the humour resonates universally.

Koshy went on to mention certain categories such as fashion, cosmetics or anything visually appealing may not necessarily go down the humour route very well and that is one of the challenges that TVF is also facing in the market today. But, that being said, he is optimistic that the organisation will break that glass ceiling at some stage

NoFiltr’s Kanabar foresees the integration of AR and VR technologies with an exciting layer to comedic storytelling. “The key is agility, staying ahead of platform shifts, and collaborating with dynamic creators to keep the humour authentic and relevant. After all, the future of branded comedy content lies in its ability to evolve with the ever-changing digital landscape,” he added.

Along similar lines, PAD’s Reddy also said that by incorporating the use of AR comedy filters, humour will continue to grow and will become one of the most significant tools in marketing owing to factors such as brands leveraging humour for UGC Content, to educate their audience and have high recall and also build brand personality and relatability.