Funniest Marketing Video Campaigns
At The Comedy Crowd we like to celebrate those brands who know that life is there to be enjoyed. Who don’t take themselves too seriously. And who make us laugh with funny ads.
Below are must see ads that we believe have embraced humour and executed it with aplomb. In other words they make us laugh and want to watch them again.
So get inspired for your own funny marketing video ideas with these hilarious and cheeky adverts that won over their target audience over.
You can also nominate your favourite funny ads for inclusion at the end of this article.
1. Panda
In 2010 Panda launched its “Never Say No To Panda!” ads, where unsuspecting individuals who decided against eating their cheese were confronted by a surprisingly aggressive panda. The beautifully paradoxical musical theme “True Love Ways” by Buddy Holly & The Picks plays in the background every time the panda mascot appears.
The series of ads first appeared on Egyptian TV commercials in 2010, and became a viral hit when posted to YouTube, having been shared 50 million+ times by others who, like me, find them very addictive to watch. Bravo Panda!
2. Lotto #pleasenotthem – James Blunt
In 2016 The National Lottery in the UK ran a series of ads encouraging people to play the lottery to stop well known celebrities winning the jackpot. This sketch is particularly good, with James Blunt playing his role superbly and a great series of escalating examples of his “beautiful” message idea.
3. Soesman language training
Please beware the strong language used in this video. OK warning over. This is a genuinely funny short ad from 2001 featuring a blissfully ignorant Dutch family enjoying a rather colourful English language tune. It is a wonderfully confident and entertaining way to raise awareness and encourage what can be perceived of as an otherwise dry subject.
4. Dollar Shave Club
Nominated by Isobel Ryan
In 2012 the startup razor brand Dollar Shave Club (DSC) released a video entitled “Our Blades Are F***ing Great”, featuring CEO Michael Dublin highlighting the ridiculousness of expensive razors and blades. The down to earth setting with regular jokes and a great performance (Michael Dublin showcasing his improv training background) made the ad an online hit, amassing nearly 28 million views as of 2022. And it put DSC on the map.
5. Inspired by Iceland – Introducing the Icelandverse
In November 2021 the Iceland tourism group “Inspired by Iceland” showcased the virtues of the country as a holiday destination through a parody of Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse. Setting the simple, real life, actual things in Iceland in contrast to the virtual Meta world, this video is a fantastic parody. If there was a Eurovision funny ad contest for 2021, we are pleased to say this would be right up there. And we would definitely watch that show.
6. Should have gone to Specsavers – Sauna
Specsavers have been running their “Should have gone to Specsavers” ads for many years, featuring people from all walks of life finding themselves in embarrassing and bizarre situations as a result of visual impairment. Watching the ads is a lot funnier than that explanation. So I’ll stop there and just say this instalment from 2011 is one of the best.
7. Sprite “Sun Fizz”
This ad directed by Spike Jonze was part of Sprite’s 90s “Obey Your Thirst” campaign, and we love it. It plays in opposition to the many ads using a cartoon character to depict happiness and fun, portraying an arguably more realistic reaction to a cartoon sun coming to life in your kitchen!
Want to explore how you use humour to engage your audience? Drop us a line and we’ll get right back to you 😎
You can also nominate your own funny ads right here: