How brands are winning with bold online humour

We are witnessing a seismic shift where brands such as Duolingo and the marketing team behind Final Destination 6 are not just advertising, they are becoming their own influencers, connecting with Gen Z through a language that is less Madison Avenue, more TikTok feed.

This is not merely a trend, but a strategic imperative born from a generation that values unvarnished truthfulness more than anything else. Gen Z, digitally native and inherently sceptical of traditional advertising, has developed a finely tuned BS detector.

They crave genuine connection, not polished perfection. They speak in memes, communicate in short-form video, and find humour in the absurdities of everyday life.

For brands to truly resonate, they must shed their corporate skin and embrace this raw, unscripted, and often hilarious online vernacular. A recent Oracle HappinessReport says people want brands to make them smile and laugh as they are prioritising health, personal connections and experiences to gain happiness.

What does this "natural online humour" look like? It is self-deprecating, culturally aware, and incredibly agile. It is the Duolingo owl, Duo, stalking users with passive-aggressive notifications and participating in viral trends with an unsettlingly intense presence. Duo is not just a mascot; it is a character, a friend, a digital menace, and it is brilliant.

By leaning into the absurdity of language learning reminders, Duolingo has transformed a functional app into a social media sensation, building a community around shared exasperation and a profound sense of kinship. They have bypassed traditional influencer marketing by becoming the ultimate brand influencer themselves.

Then there is the "bold" side of this humour, exemplified by the Final Destination Bloodlines marketing team. Instead of generic horror movie promos, they unleashed a series of darkly comedic, hyper-specific "death warnings" tailored to individual users based on their online activity.

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This extended to the physical world, where motorists encountered a chillingly effective stunt, a truck, laden with logs, deliberately mirroring the infamous highway accident from Final Destination 2.

This real-life, macabre advertisement, complete with promotional banners for the new film, turned ordinary commutes into unsettling brushes with cinematic dread.

This was not just funny, but unsettlingly brilliant, leveraging the brand's core premise in a way that felt both personal and hilariously disturbing.

It was a highly risky and rewarding play that demonstrated a profound understanding of their audience's dark humour and willingness to engage in unconventional ways.

While it can boost engagement and create a relatable brand image, it is crucial to be mindful of the brand's identity and avoid being tone deaf, especially when addressing sensitive issues or during times of crisis.

The line between bold and blunder is perilously thin. Brands venturing into this space must possess an acute understanding of their audience, cultural nuances, and the ever-shifting landscape of online humour.

This requires empowered social media teams, a willingness to take calculated risks but still ingrain the brand’s voice and strategy, and the agility to pivot if a joke falls flat.

In an era saturated with content, brands that dare to be genuinely funny, truly in tune with their audience, and even a little bit unhinged are the ones cutting through the noise.

They are not just selling products, but also building relationships, fostering communities, and proving that sometimes, the best way to connect with your audience is to simply make them laugh. The future of brand influence is not about paying someone else to speak for you but finding your own voice.

The writer is Gordon’s Brand Manager, EABL.