2024 Workplace Resolution: Make Marketing Fun

The flip of the calendar to January is a unique excuse to look at everything your organization does from a fresh perspective, and (hopefully) find some fun in what you do.

No matter who you're trying to captivate (customers, donors, employees, board members, community partners, neighbors, etc.), don't overlook the opportunity for your brand to embrace it's softer (human) side.

While humor is subjective and can be treacherous, being memorable is the key to success in our attention economy. As long as you understand the nuances of your audience, having fun can be a game-changer for your marketing and brand.

This was the advice that CPB Europe's CEO Helen James shared with Marketing Week as advice to brands in 2024:

Continue: Entertaining. If we’re going to prioritise attention, we have to create brands and campaigns worth paying attention to. It’s all about putting your audience first and understanding what they want to see and hear. And the number one reason people watch content online? Because it’s funny.

At POUNCE Solutions, we preach and practice this approach.

When POUNCE launched in January 2022, it was actually a new brand layered on top of an existing business. Why? H2D Strategies LLC made sense to get us going, but it didn't do anything to convince our prospects that we were mission-minded, action-oriented, and knew how to have fun.

It's boring. POUNCE is supposed to be fun.

Anyone who has been to PounceSolutions.com can see that we take our work seriously, not ourselves. We're just two cat guys trying to help client partners succeed.

Yet we still get pushback from clients and prospects who don't want to show their human side. Here are a few of the common excuses for not having fun.

"But our people are serious."

Oh, are they? More serious than regional water sanitation workers?

The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District is our new favorite follow on X/Twitter. The organization's bio on the platform says it all:

"sewers are the original social media network. yes, we’re really the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District. Customer Service: 216 881-8247"

And its posts/tweets are - chef's kiss - perfect (topical, timely, relevant to the industry, memorable and trendworthy):

Why This Works: Why else would you follow the NE Ohio Regional Sewer District on X/Twitter? Come for the memes and stay for the mission, which includes hiring for more than two dozen open positions right now.

Key Takeaway: Focus on providing value and not taking your message too seriously. If the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District can have more than 60k followers on X/Twitter, then so can your brand.

"But our cause is serious."

Of course it is, but humor doesn't make your brand unserious or unlikeable. Think about the people you admire. People of high accomplishment and regard tend to have magnetic traits, including humor and wit.

Brands are no different. Working in the mission-driven, cause-oriented space, we understand that much of humor is timing and finding the right opportunities to let your personality flag fly.

The Loudoun Education Foundation is one of our longest and dearest client partners. The small but mighty team of Danielle Nadler , Kari Murphy , Kirslyn S. , Courtney Soria and Letty Kayser impact the lives of more than 100,000 students, families and educators each year with nearly three dozen impactful programs.

But they are also fun people. Consistently, LEF's best messaging is when the team's personality is close to the surface.

Here's a great example of a blooper reel taken from the team's recent holiday video shoot, and posted as part of its New Year message:

Why This Works: There is something uniquely relatable about stumbling over your words. We've all done it! In a curated online world, it can be extremely endearing to show your human shortcomings, while reminding everyone of the team's good work.

Key Takeaway: Go into every content-gathering situation with several ideas in mind. Most of the time, you can get the piece you wanted and also get a behind-the-scenes perspective or an outtake reel.

"But our industry is serious."

It's hard to get more serious than the backbone of the Internet.

Data centers are one of the most important and least understood industries in the world. Historically, that has been by design, as bland architecture and secure perimeters were intended to enhance and project reliability and uptime.

The nature of mission-critical infrastructure is that it just needs to work every time.

This pragmatic focus has left a lot of the narrative around the industry to be driven by people who are not in it and do not understand it.

The 7x24 Exchange DC Chapter does an amazing job of emphasizing the industry's humanity and personality, drawing in industry professionals, building partnerships with community organizations, and illustrating the chapter's charitable impact.

The leadership team of Karen Petersburg , Lillian Rivera , Brian Brobst , Ross Rebraca , Don Miller , Julie Forsht , Kurt Wallner, PE, PMP , Trisann Ferrigno , Rob Courson, Marshall Sorenson, DBIA , and Christine Kopp are industry leaders who do great work.

They also know how to have fun.

The DC Chapter's recent holiday party was a smash success, highlighted by a camera booth that captured the festive spirit. Posting select pictures and a link to the full gallery was the account's most engaging post of the year:

Why This Works: Particularly for membership organizations, the goal is to get more people to join, attend events, and engage with the mission. This type of post works equally well for someone who attended (and want to see their pictures), didn't attend (inside FOMO), and is curious about joining (outside FOMO).

Key Takeaway: Industries and brands are what we do, but should not be confused with who we are. Every team has its own culture and sense of fun, creating authentic opportunities to reach and influence the right people.

If you're looking to embrace fun and humor in your marketing in 2024, kudos to you! If you need help brainstorming or putting it into action, let us know.

Boundless Possibilities

POUNCE is a marketing strategy, communication planning, and problem-solving consultancy for mission-driven organizations.

We offer unique strengths and collective agility that reflect our feline ethos. Our decentralized structure ensures we deliver scalable results to help your organization roar.