Communication for the communicators the Chartered Institute of Public Relations

The PR industry got a lesson in the power of humour and had a good laugh in the process when we gave a presentation to the Chartered Institute of Public Relations looking at the unique way humour can be used to engage, get attention and get a message across.

The session looked at the connection between humour and engagement and the science behind the neurological processes at work when we interpret humour.

It was a fascinating, fun session in which participants looked at some of the most effective PR and marketing campaigns that use humour. Top of our list is budget supermarket Lidl which has recently overhauled its social media strategy and now gives customers ‘everyday giggles’, ‘organised fun’ and ‘reactive LOLs’ which are responses to news events. Our favourite example was the store’s Twitter reaction to Zayn Malik’s departure from One Direction. It tweeted a picture of a 1D Easter Egg with the comment, ‘looks like we’ll have to knock a 1/5 off too #lalwaysinourheartszaynmalik