22 Interesting Humor in Marketing Statistics for 2025

So what is the current state of humor in marketing? Does it work and should brands use it today? 

Let’s be real;

Humor brings people together, makes people happy, builds relationships and all that.

The only problem;

Is it applicable in marketing or would it hurt brands instead?

Many brands do not use it because they think it might piss people off or they don’t have enough data to justify using it;

A lot of questions really, but no worries, I have done all the work for you and collected all the data for your pleasure.  

This humor in marketing statistics will show you exactly what you should know and why you should start using humor in your marketing strategy. 

Let’s jump to it.

Top Humor in Marketing Stats

1. 90% of consumers are more likely to remember a funny ad, and 72% would choose a humorous brand over the competition.
2. 91% of people globally prefer brands to be funny, yet 95% of business leaders fear using humor in customer interactions.
3. 71% of consumers remember brands that make them laugh, and over half are more likely to buy from them.
4. 78% of consumers are willing to pay a premium for brands that make them happy.
5. At Cannes Lions 2023, 52% of Film category winners were intentionally funny—a 43% increase from the previous year.
6. 80% of consumers are more likely to buy again from a brand that uses humor.

Humor in Marketing Statistics in 2025

Here is the list. 

1. 91% of people globally prefer brands to be funny, yet 95% of business leaders fear using humor in customer interactions.

(Source: Oracle)

People love entertainment alot. In fact, the majority of social media users spend almost all of their free time browsing facebook, twitter,  instagram or scrolling through TikTok looking for something to keep them entertained or make them laugh. It is why you see many content creators sharing memes, or posting dance videos. 

If you haven’t integrated humor in your overall content marketing strategy you’re leaving a lot of money on the table. No audience = no traffic. If the majority of consumers are looking for something funny like funny jokes, you have to tap into that segment to maximize reach. 

2. 71% of consumers remember brands that make them laugh, and over half are more likely to buy from them.

(Source: Clutch)

People are tied to their emotions. There is a saying that “People forget what you did for them, but never forget how you made them feel”. This is no different when it comes to business, if you can make someone laugh they’ll feel more connected to you and when someone is connected to you, they trust you and become like warm buyers. 

When you sell to them, they’re more likely to respond in a positive way.

Dollar Shave Club is a perfect example. They highlighted their value proposition using a dry, self-deprecating launch video that garnered over 26 million views and 12,000 customers in only 2 days. The video was funny, relatable and also shareable. 

So what are you still waiting for? This shows exactly what makes people feel connected to your brand and that is entertainment. Start testing different ways to get consumers connected to your brand. You can start with using memes, or going along with current social media trends. 

3. 90% of consumers are more likely to remember a funny ad.

(Source: Oracle)

As said earlier, people are driven by emotions. If you can perfectly tap into this by constantly running ads that give them what they want, they will remember you for life. Repetition sticks, the more they see your funny ads you feel more familiar to them. 

Snickers “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” ad is a perfect example. The ad campaign used humor showing people acting out of character (e.g., Celebrities like Betty White playing football) until they ate a Snickers and returned to normal

If you want to be remembered by consumers, running professional ads regularly is not enough, you should make it also funny and relatable. 

Repetition alone sticks, but you’ll gain more trust, engagement and sales if you mix it with funny content. 

4. 78% of consumers are willing to pay a premium for brands that make them happy.

(Source: Oracle)

Everyone’s at their best when they are motivated and excited, they can literally empty their wallets at that very moment;  People are looking for anything that’ll make them happy. 

The Covid-19 caused a lot of anxiety for many people as they were isolated and cut from family and friends. 

This is simple; to drive more paid subscriptions for your products and services, focus on what truly makes consumers happy. If you can do that, stats say you have a high chance of getting paid subscriptions. 

5. At Cannes Lions 2023, 52% of Film category winners were intentionally funny—a 43% increase from the previous year.

(Source: TheDrum)

Notable brands have seen the huge potential in entertainment and how it impacts sales. So they are intentionally using this in their marketing, and this means one thing: it works. 

With a 43% increase from 2022, tells you that more and more brands are utilizing humor strategically in their marketing campaigns, if you are not currently doing that, you are missing out on potential customers. 

6. 80% of consumers are more likely to buy again from a brand that uses humor.

(Source: Oracle)

If traffic is the lifeblood of any business, then repeat buyers is the heartbeat that keeps it alive and growing.  Only one recurring customer can bring you thousands of dollars in sales monthly. 

Integrating humour in your brand would see customers flowing in to buy again because of that connection, trust and engagement you’ve built with them.

7. 72% would choose a humorous brand over the competition.

(Source: Oracle) 

Consumers prefer a brand that is not boring. Happiness is everything and this is why entertainment sells; people want to feel appreciated, connected, happy. It is why they would rather choose to buy from someone who relates with them and not one who’s too serious.

In the world of business today, it is all about competition, so if you want to stay competitive in your industry and you are not already using humor then you will be left behind. 

8. 89% try to find happiness through online shopping.

(Source: Oracle) 

The pandemic caused a lot of depression and anxiety worldwide. 

Since people could not meet face to face for that social interaction they were looking for ways to make themselves happy. Many of them turned to online shopping as a way to try to find happiness. 

The world didn’t go back to 100% of the way it used to be before the pandemic. 

So you can leverage this to increase your sales, by making consumers happy; give them coupons, discounts or something that’ll lift their moods while buying from you. 

9. 48% of consumers don’t feel a relationship with a brand unless it makes them laugh or smile.

(Source: Oracle) 

“Women are attracted to men that make them laugh”;  can also apply to brands. 

To spark that instant and long lasting relationship with consumers so you can keep them coming back for more, all you need to do is make them laugh or smile. 

It doesn’t mean you turn your business into a comedy show but find ways to integrate little humor that makes people’s day. This could be in your ad copies, video ads, etc.  Not everyone but your potential customers.

10. 41% would walk away from a brand that doesn’t make them laugh or smile.

(Source: Oracle)

Just like 48% said they don’t feel a relationship with brands that don’t make them smile or laugh,41% also said they would even walk away. 

This can come as shocking but Spiceworks reports that it is true. 

It is not that people are looking for comedians but in general people like to be loved and also love back; they like someone who’s interesting and if you come off as too serious they can feel rejected. 

Who will go back to someone they don’t feel connected to? So you have to intentionally (but naturally) make them laugh to build that connection. 

No wonder at the Cannes Lions in 2023, more than half (52%) of film category winners were intentionally funny.

11. 74% of recognized brands are linked to humorous advertising.

(Source: Theseus)

Humor-based advertising didn’t just start today. It has been used and is being used today by top brands such as Facebook and YouTube. 

If giants like them are using humor in their ads, then it communicates something clearly. IT WORKS. 

“If you can’t beat them, join them”. 

If you want to be among the best brands out there in your industry using proven strategies, then you need to start employing humor in your ad campaigns just like the top guys. 

12. 45% of humorous ads are “good” performers in driving sales.

(Source: Warc)

If your ads make people laugh, they will engage with it. More engagement naturally drives more organic reach, so this will also reduce your ad spend and build instant trust. 

It has been tested and almost 50% of ads that contain humor do well in terms of performance in CTRs, engagement and building relationships.

Don’t create your next ad campaign unless you’ve integrated humor into it.

13. 53% of successful ads are rated as “funny or clever.

(Source: University of Kentucky)

Times without numbers have proven that people want to feel happy, they are at their best when they are happy, and if your ads can give them what they want, they’re more inclined to buy from you. 

You have to give consumers exactly what they want. 

So find ways to make your ads funny and watch your ads become successful; bringing in sales.

14. 73% of failed ads are considered “boring.”

(Source: University of Kentucky)

No one likes an uninteresting person; i.e. someone who just doesn’t get it.  The same applies to brands; if your brand is just there, has no idea about current trends, does not relate with people, it is on its own living under a rock. 

Relationships are very important for sales and to do that, one of the best ways is using humor. 

It is simple; boring ads will fail and you will end up wasting your advertising budget because it does not offer any value. The solution – create humor-based ads. 

15. 30% of TikTok users said humor in creator content was a top motivation for purchase intent.
(Source: Tiktok for Business)

Humor makes people feel connected to you and also helps build lasting trust. Again because people may forget what you did but never how you made them feel. 

When you use humor in your ad copies when running ads and also when sharing posts with your social media followers it enhances that rapport and builds relationships with them.

This takes them from being cold leads to warm; ready to spend on your products. 

16. 40% of Gen Z use social media primarily to find funny or entertaining content.

(Source: Fast Company)

The Gen Z audience grew up with the internet, smartphones and social media. 

They are on their phone the majority of the time and what are they doing? Almost half of them are on social media surfing for something that will keep them entertained. 

If your content can do this while also selling in the process you can reach a lot of targeted consumers. 

In other words, If you want to make the most sales, strategically focus your content to be funny or entertaining so your target audience can relate with it. 

17. 34% of Millennials use social media primarily to find funny or entertaining content.

(Source: Fast company)

Just like the Gen Zs, Millennials are also looking for funny content on social media. This should tell you much about how much you should be integrating humor into your brand marketing. 

Happiness is crucial to mental health, everyone wants to be happy and if you can give that to them, they’ll happily give you their money. 

Don’t waste any more time, if you have a tik tok page start creating content that offers your value proposition and is also funny. This will easily convert both Gen Z and Millenials from cold leads to paying customers. 

18. 75% would follow a brand on social media if it was humorous, despite only 15% of brands using humor on social media.

(Source: Oracle) 

Did you think using humor can piss people off and so you do not use it at all? You are losing a lot of potential customers then. Data says a large percentage of consumers will follow you if you are humorous. 

From today, do not see humor as something bad but start using it across your social media pages and watch your followers and potential customers skyrocket. 

19. Younger consumers (18-24) prefer affiliative and aggressive humor

(Source: Theseus) 

How you use humor and with whom is very important. Improper use could hurt your brand. 

Young people love to feel good and are fine with being vulnerable, older people (55+) are different. 

Younger consumers love humorous content like sarcasm and roasting just like Wendy’s twitter account does by roasting customers and other brands in a playful but harsh way. So use sarcasm, light hearted humor, insult comedy, etc. to relate with them. This will build rapport, relationship and trust. 

20. Older consumers (55+) lean towards non-humorous or softer styles.

(Source: Theseus)

Unlike younger consumers, the 55+ age would prefer to keep it non-humorous. If your target audience is within this age range, keep your humor soft as things can get delicate. 

So keep things professional for this type of audience. 

21. Only 20% of brands use humor in offline ads and Only 18% in online ads.

(Source: Oracle)

Because many brands lack the data that shows humor works and or maybe they have the false idea that humor can be bad for their audience, they do not use humor often. 

This is the direct opposite of what data is saying.

There is a lot of potential to capture a large segment of consumers here because only a small percentage of your competitors are leveraging humor. To stay miles ahead, you should start testing funny marketing strategies

22. 32% of all ads contain some form of humor.

(Source: Kantar)

Even though many brands do not know if humor was effective, close to half of all ads online use it. This goes to show you that consumers love humor even though there is little data to support it. 

Having known this, don’t waste more time and start humor-focused ads campaigns and watch how the ad performs. Compare it with the ones without single use of humour and measure the success of both. 

Conclusion 

From this humor in marketing statistics you can clearly see that humor is being used everyday today and very important in marketing. It does everything that turns cold leads into paying and returning customers. 

If you are not currently leveraging it, you’re leaving a lot of money on the table. 

In summary; 

• A large percentage of consumers want brands to be funny; they will buy and come back to buy again
• Many brands are currently not using humor in their marketing strategy because they don’t know if it works or if there is data to back it up
• You should start using humor in your ads and social media content because research says it works

If you want more statistics, then take a look at my other articles: 

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