Rejoice, because 2023 is going to be good. Well, it’s going to be quite rough actually, for all the obvious reasons, but it seems we might have reason to be optimistic about one small aspect of what we do. I’d like to suggest to you that we’ll see something wonderful in the new year – the return of funny to advertising.

Not that funny ever fully went away. There are still a few smirks here and there, the occasional chuckle or (more rarely) a genuine LoL. But humour has been in decline for quite some time. Partly perhaps – with everything going on in the world – we have been less in the mood to laugh. Data consulting agency Kantar plotted a graph showing that the proportion of funny and lighthearted ads had dipped in the previous recession, and the trend had continued in the last few awful years, too. But there’s something else going on, too. The ascent of purpose based marketing has meant that many big brands have been seriously pursuing some kind of social good in their advertising. ‘Seriously’ seems to be the important word here, with brands and agencies looking to satisfy gen-z’s ethical buying values rather than amuse and entertain.

There’s a huge debate about Purpose, with brands making the world a better place on one side and brands losing their distinctiveness and product focus on the other. Other people are having that debate more articulately elsewhere, but it’s not necessarily binary or simple. Clearly, the company that is just aligning itself to a social justice issue to get eyeballs is at risk of being called out by a very savvy generation of consumers. Whereas the good brand that’s also authentically a good company – you’d hope they have more success with their serious story.

Are consumers themselves more serious? Certainly, the environment in which something funny can happen has changed. Comedy often requires a victim, and mocking or laughing at other people isn’t very cool right now. Even the ‘stupid dad’ – for so long the staple butt of the joke in comedic advertising – is increasingly recognised as a damaging stereotype. And besides, humour is already really hard – and arguably a more sensitive cultural environment makes it even more difficult. 

Blimey, this is a bit grim isn’t it? So, why am I optimistic about things getting better (and funnier)? Three reasons.

The first is TikTok. It’s a big reason and getting bigger. People use TikTok in all kinds of unexpected and innovative ways – ways that might at first seem unsuited to short-form vertical video. Food. Philosophy. Witchcraft. Learning Mandarin. Every subject or niche has someone passionately making content and helping build an incredibly specific community. For example, the clever and wholesome #booktok is going strong, celebrating the joys of regular old analogue reading on the tech platform du jour. But the main reason for TikTok’s success is the endless stream of algorithmically filtered entertainment. The platform’s For You Page utilises the interest graph, not the social graph. It’s less about seeing what my friends and people I follow are up to, and more about seeing entertaining stuff I might like from, well, just about anybody. Being funny cuts through. Or rather, being funny is algorithmically compatible. It turns out that people love small slices of comedy. Who knew? Well, we did when we used to make funny ads. TikTok is a reminder of the power of entertainment to grab and hold one’s attention (and maybe deliver a message, too). 

The second reason is brand purpose. Not because it’s faltering, but because it’s evolving. If I say the word ‘sustainability’ in relation to marketing, what do you think of? Maybe a youthful voice-over aching with sincerity over a shot of a rolling ocean. A teenager’s face turned skywards, hopeful. Pastel typography. A tree. You might have conjured up other, gentle aesthetics but I’ll hazard that you didn’t think of punk rock water brand Liquid Death. The plastic-free purveyor of mountain water has decided to ignore the eco-conventions of its competitors and focus on making its brand entertaining. As founder Mike Cessario says, ‘Why does health food always have to be so quiet and responsible? How come all of this shit that’s terrible for you is allowed to have all the fun and explosions?’. Hence a mischievous superbowl ad featuring a group of out-of-control, underage (water) drinkers. The fact the five year old company now has a $700M valuation suggests that doing good and being funny might be compatible after all. Purpose is a mission or ambition, and doesn’t have to be a restrictive tone of voice. 

Finally, there’s the power of humour itself. The simple, honest value exchange of, ‘I want to tell you about this product I’m selling, but in return I’m going to make you laugh’. It still works for me, especially in tougher times. 

Besides, we’re due some laughs. Hear that, 2023? Please be funnier.