Content Marketing: What if Brands Stopped Taking Themselves so Seriously?

Brands, across all sectors, have understood this well: it is difficult to overlook solid content in 2021 not only to please their audiences but also to entertain them. Indeed, a brand's universe now relies as much on the visual aspect of its platforms and products as on the content it publishes and the interactions it maintains with its audience.

High-quality content is therefore an integral part of a broader communication strategy. Gamification of newsletters, tracking trends on TikTok, quality blogging, brands are looking to follow trends and stand out with strong and relevant storytelling. A well-thought-out content strategy that allows targeting the right people and thus personalizing communication to the maximum. 

The Choice of Humor

Nowadays, humor has become a powerful audience generator, and funny videos, even very short ones, if they are funny, will be shared excessively, worldwide, reaching millions of views. Even the political sphere is getting in on it. Recently, the Élysée invited the humorous YouTubers Mcfly and Carlito for a story-telling contest with President Emmanuel Macron, a video viewed and shared several million times.

Talking to Young People: A Challenge for Brands 

Younger generations are sensitive to funny communication but especially to self-deprecation from brands. The sleek communication campaigns of the 2000s no longer resonate with a young audience in search of authenticity and transparency. Millennials and Generation Z are no longer responsive to traditional advertising; this demographic is even skeptical of polished and locked communication but is receptive to a lighter tone, humor inspired by the internet, and self-deprecation.
Brands are now trying to appear more human and more aware of their own flaws or mistakes, not hesitating to highlight their shortcomings in a humorous way. The goal: to downplay themselves to uplift themselves and reach an ever-growing audience.

The American Example

A great example of humorous and self-aware content is the Lionsgate film studios, which produced the Twilight saga, currently riding the wave of renewed popularity of these films following their release on Netflix.

Their TikTok account regularly posts video montages poking fun at their own productions and highlights the well-known flaws of these films, ridiculous dialogues, or the least well-acted scenes by the actors. Result: millions of views for each video, several thousand comments, and successful communication.

Another brand that successfully embraced self-deprecation is Domino's Pizza, well-known in the United States for their delivery delays despite a slogan promising a pizza in under 30 minutes and for unappetizing recipes. In recent years, the brand has decided to embrace self-deprecation, turning its flaws into a humorous and honest communication angle, which has translated into growing sales across the Atlantic. 

However, self-deprecation is not compatible or relevant for all brands, such as luxury, beauty, or health, whose communication generally needs to remain factual and controlled.