Humor in Marketing: Funny Sells

Have you heard the joke about the chief marketing officer who walks into a bar? Well neither have we, but if that got your attention, an article about the value of injecting humor into your consumer marketing might help you get the attention of your target audience online.

You can start with "7 Ways to Use Humor in Your Online Marketing," an article by Leyl Master Black that first appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum website (and reprinted on Mashable with additional graphics).

Here are the 7 ways that Black says can help you with your online marketing:

1. Deliver data with a punchline
2. Tap into pop culture
3. Give your product a laugh track
4. Lampoon with a cartoon
5. Get animated
6. Be a social Seinfeld
7. Solicit humor from your fans

For more, including graphics, screen shots, and other helpful hints about how to be funny for fun and profit, try either site - both of which overflow with excellent resources for small and medium businesses, both online and off.

By the way, if you come up with a good punch line about the CMO who walks into a bar (or maybe even into a Franchise Consumer Marketing Conference), please send it to [email protected] for an honorable mention in next month's issue.