What Happened
Researchers at Arizona State University published findings confirming what great communicators have always known: humor is not a gimmick. It is a growth engine. Brands that use humor strategically outperform those that play it safe with serious, formal messaging. The study points to humor as a driver of consumer connection and long-term brand loyalty, not just a cheap trick for attention.
The Communication Angle
Let's start with the real event here. A major university just handed brands scientific permission to stop being boring. That is the communication story. Not the research itself, but what the research exposes: most brands are terrible at humor because they treat it as decoration instead of architecture.
Humor works for one precise reason. It creates shared understanding between two people (or a brand and its audience) faster than any other communication tool. When you laugh at the same thing, you signal alignment. You say, without saying it: we see the world the same way. That is the foundation of trust, and trust is what drives purchase decisions.
Here is where most brands get it wrong. They confuse humor with jokes. A joke is a performance. Humor is a perspective. The brands that grow through humor are not telling knock-knock jokes in their ads. They are showing a consistent, specific point of view on the world. Think of how Wendy's built its entire social media identity around a particular kind of sharp, self-aware wit. That consistency made it feel like a personality, not a marketing stunt. Audiences trust personalities. They tune out stunts.
The second failure is using humor to avoid saying something real. Humor deployed to dodge a hard truth is cowardice dressed as charm. It signals that you do not respect your audience enough to be direct with them. The research from ASU reinforces the opposite approach: humor that connects is humor rooted in truth. The funniest observations are always the most accurate ones. Your communication, branded or personal, should work the same way. Be specific. Be accurate. Then be funny about it.
The third failure is fear. Executives approve vague, safe messaging because they are terrified of offending anyone. The result is content that resonates with no one. Here is the hard truth: if your message does not risk alienating someone, it is not connecting with anyone. Humor requires commitment. It requires you to take a clear position and deliver it with confidence. That is not recklessness. That is leadership.
This is exactly the kind of scenario I break down in Say It Right Every Time. The chapter on tone and trust gives you a framework for calibrating your voice so that humor lands as confident and credible rather than desperate or off-brand. Humor without trust is noise. The chapter shows you how to build the foundation first so the wit actually does its job.
Never Be Lost
for Words Again
Get word‑for‑word scripts for the conversations that shape your life, from job interviews and negotiations to difficult talks with family and partners, so you always know exactly what to say and how to say it.
Never Be Lost
for Words Again
Get word‑for‑word scripts for the conversations that shape your life, from job interviews and negotiations to difficult talks with family and partners, so you always know exactly what to say and how to say it.
Key Takeaway
Pick one piece of communication you produce regularly, a weekly email, a LinkedIn post, a team update, anything. Identify the single most specific and true observation you could make about your industry or your audience's daily frustration. Write that observation plainly. Then ask: what is the absurd or ironic edge of this truth? Lead with that. Not a joke. The truth, sharpened until it has an edge.
