Data Spotlight: Making Britons laugh - Humour hacks for advertisers
It is said that humour is subjective but no matter the style, there’s takers for all kinds of comedic setups. However, advertisers must err on the side of caution when using humour as part of brand communication. In such instances, knowing what broader humorous themes a target audience enjoys can help you land the punchline.
Let's look at what Britons find funny based on data from YouGov Profiles, which covers demographic, psychographic, attitudinal and behavioural consumer metrics.
Data reveals that observational comedy is most popular among Britons (82%).
At a distant second - 47% - is comedy with a more political bent that weaves in commentary on news and current affairs. Further, four in ten Britons (40%) say they’ve found jokes on controversial or taboo subjects funny. At the bottom of the pile is improv comedy with 21% of Brits finding it funny, just after toilet humour at 24%.
Demographic data shows that more women (86%) than men (78%) say they find comedic observations on everyday life funny. The biggest difference between what men and women find funny is observed in jokes based on controversial or taboo subjects. Where half of British men (50%) find this theme funny, only 29% of women do so in comparison.
Where surreal humour appeals to 43% of men and 28% of women, cringey and embarrassing situations appeal to fewer Brits (31% men vs. 29% women).
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Methodology: YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Profiles data for Great Britain is nationally representative and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race. Learn more about Profiles.
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