What are some examples of witty social media campaigns that caught your attention?

One thing that’s important to keep in mind when trying to execute humorous content is that it’s not only important to know your audience, but to know yourself. It doesn’t really make sense to lean into tropes or memes that don’t resonate with who you are and that aren’t authentic.

Who has not been loving ANYTHING and everything Martha Stewart has done (Titos Vodka during dry January for example). Anything with Ariana Madix post Scandoval has been great and so fun to see what brands are savvy, quick to read the room and be creative. I'm also digging all the things Hannah Waddington has done. Biscuits? Genius - why did that take so long? Johnny Walker supporting women's sports by watching? HELL YES. She'd be a dream talent client.

The best campaign that I've seen do this recently is the Surreal Cereal campaign, they promoted that Serena Williams, Dwayne Johnson, and Michael Jordan were all big fans of their high-protein, zero-sugar, keto-friendly, plant-based cereal. Except these people were not celebrities – just normal folk who happen to share their names. (IT KILLED ME WHEN I FOUND OUT!) They knew their audience and targeted them with something they knew they'd love.

In my experience, specifically regarding the younger generations (Gen Z), the more honest and weird a post is, the better it will perform. For example, Duolingo’s TikTok had exploded in popularity due to the somewhat line toting humor, of which makes it more relatable and humanistic if you will because it’s pushing the boundaries. As a viewer, you’re able to see that there is a person that is behind the screen, not a typical dry and uninteresting corporate account. Additionally, corporate Twitter accounts began to catch on to the movement when Moonpie became a staple account to follow due to the outrageous commentary the account was making. In turn, many of corporate accounts now have a kinship, such as 7/11 and Slim Jim on Twitter.

Clever copy humanizes a brand and a builds a connection with potential customers. It does, however, have to be deployed carefully to not make people roll their eyes. Developing copywriting skills helps social media marketers in all facets of their work and are a great hedge against automation. For now, AI is unable to be as funny as humans, which is clear based on the example jokes listed above.

Puns are a fabulous way to appropriately address users, especially when done well. Typically, puns are very suitable for all ages and audiences, and make a post appear “cute” and “lighthearted” in nature. I personally LOVE to use puns on my accounts, and the data shows that the posts with a pin typically perform better. This isn’t an applicable method for all organizations, however if you can utilize the power of puns, you’ll have the most pun-nacle sense of humor!

For a Valentine’s Day activity I’ve rolled out a community engagement strategy some years ago for Candy Crush Saga Twitter where the idea was to respond to replies with short poems related to the game. Think something along the lines of ?Jelly Beans are red, lollipops are blue, the Candy is sweet, here’s a colour bomb for you ??“ Delighted the community and drove great engagement around an in game release.

When it comes to popular culture, current events or other relevant topics, it's key to make sure they're appropriate to your brand. Don't just jump on a trend because it's popular. Think about how it links back to your brand and your values. For example, I recently did a spoof version of the North / Midlands / South boundaries that have been floating around on Twitter. However, I added in a "Utopia" circle around Hull, my home city, because one of my brand's values is to SHOUT about how proud we are to be from Hull and tell others how great it is. https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/mrmatthewjohnson_theres-a-bit-of-a-discussion-going-on-over-activity-7038901148635799553-aLo7?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android

I think Wendy's had an amazing approach to this. Wendy's witty social media captions and roasts got the attention of both fans and haters - in a positive way. The majority of the internet was impressed by Wendy's bold approach in engaging with customers. They marketed their brand, while creating conversation that appealed to their customers. The inclusion of constant pop culture references made them relatable to the every day consumer.

I recently saw a post from Innocent Drinks, letting people know their dairy-free range is leaving and it was HILARIOUS. "NUTTERLY DISAPPOINTING NEWS We're sad to say that our dairy free range will be leaving shelves in the next few weeks. We know some of you really love our coconut, hazelnut and almond drinks, so we wanted to say a big thanks for buying them. We really appreciate all five of you." "ALL FIVE OF YOU"... almost fell off my chair laughing so hard!