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The 2024 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has a new category: humor.
“Work entered into this category should use wit and satire to provide amusement and create memorable, laughter-inducing connections with audiences,” Cannes Lions noted in a statement.
Data shows there’s good reason behind adding a humor category. More than purpose, surprise or novelty, humor is the most prominent factor behind many of the most popular commercials in modern history, according to new findings from marketing and innovation consultancy Spikes, which partnered with data analytics firm YouGov to survey more than 3,500 U.S. adults.
When asked to recall their favorite ad of all time, participants named funny spots such as Budweiser’s frogs, Geico’s caveman and Wendy’s “Where’s the beef?”
“The all-time favorite ads manage to have a lasting impact not for weeks or months, but decades,” said Gordon Euchler, co-founder of Spikes. “Among those ads, humor is significantly more important.”
Although the use of humor in advertising has declined in recent years, research shows it’s making a comeback. At Cannes Lions, award submissions tagged with “humor” increased 48% in 2023 compared to 2022.
“Comedy sticks, and it’s a really good tool to get people to like your brand,” Rob Baird, co-founder and CCO at ad agency Preacher, told ADWEEK. “People inside and outside the industry are longing for this kind of entertainment. Along with cute animal videos, it’s the kind of thing we share most often with our friends.”
When Spikes asked consumers to recall their favorite advertisement from recent months, humor once again contributed more to the top spots than any other element.
Examples include Progressive’s commercials involving Flo and friends, along with State Farm’s 2024 Super Bowl spot featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger, who struggles to pronounce “neighbor.” Reinforcing the idea that people connect with funny content, State Farm’s Schwarzenegger spot beat all other Big Game ads to finish in first place on USA Today’s Ad Meter.
As Euchler put it: “Humor has the power to make a brand connection last.”