People like to laugh, duh.
For the last twenty years, purpose-driven ads have dominated the industry. But after reading the somewhat solemn room, humor is back.
And it’s more than just for giggles. Humor brings positivity to brands as well. According to Oracle, 90% of consumers admit they're more likely to remember a funny ad, while 72% would ditch the competition for a brand that brings the laughs.
TLDR: Keep the laughs coming to connect with your audience in 2024. Across the industry, brands are tapping into their audience’s funny bones using absurdism, sarcasm, and even—plot twist—B2B content.
⚡️️️Trend #1: B2Banter
B2B brands are flipping the script—literally. Brands like American Express are turning from heavy info to humor to create an emotional connection with their audience. Their series of quirky videos expose the struggles of small business owners—like this adorable one featuring a fluffle of bunnies—in a lighthearted way that will put a smile on anyone’s face.
⚡️️️Trend #2: For the birds—and the viewers
Ditch the norm, go off-script, and feel free to throw professionalism out of the window in the name of absurdism. Kayak’s “Don’t do it yourself” campaign takes a hard turn into absurdist humor as the main characters do odd and crazy things, like pretending to be a scarecrow or fishing in a mall fountain. So try catching your viewers off guard, they’ll appreciate your brand’s freewheeling sense of fun.
⚡️️️Trend #3: Take it to the comments
Sarcasm has always reigned supreme on social media. But now brands are taking it to a whole new level—especially in the comment and reply sections of platforms like X and TikTok. By using sarcasm creatively, brands can reach new audiences. Just scroll through the comments of ScrubDaddy, Cava, and TikTok queen Duolingo to see what we’re talking about.
So look for laughter to keep trending in 2024. In fact, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity recently announced a new humor category for its 2024 awards. So raise your flute of rosé and give a toast to that. And make sure it’s funny.
Ammunition’s take on the ads of The Big Game.
We asked our Chief Creative Officer, Alex Russell, to share his POV on advertising’s biggest night of the year and his favorite spots:
🥇Most Creative: Google
“This one managed to use a product demo throughout to help tell a deeply human story. All with a warm and fuzzy ending. Never easy. And in a sea of celebrity-packed Super Bowl spots, showing normal people being normal people really stood out.”
🥇Most Shocking: Reese’s
“Loud, absurdist humor either works or sucks in a big way. This worked big time for me, I think it’s hilarious and brash. And another case study in simple (in this case, stupid simple) always wins.”
Striking Stats
️️⚡️30% of TikTok users said humor in creator content made them hit that “purchase” button. (Source: TikTok for Business)
️️️⚡️27% of digital advertisements contain some kind of humor. (Source: Kantar)
️️️⚡️Did you know: The average cost of a 30-second Super Bowl TV commercial in 2024 was 7 million dollars. (Source: WSJ)
Lightning Round: Team Updates
️️⚡️Ammunition is thrilled to have brought home the Silver A.D.D.Y. in the Branded Content & Entertainment Campaign Category for our work for the Atlanta Hawks.
️️️⚡️Our team secured a spot on Atlanta Business Chronicle's list of Atlanta's 25 largest advertising and marketing agencies, climbing to #14 from #21.
️️️⚡️We also have been recognized by Inc. as one of the fastest growing companies—#126 to be exact—in the Southeast.
️️️⚡️Neale Madden (5 years) and Ashley Rothrock (1 year) celebrated their Ammoversaries.
️️️⚡️Ammunition welcomed Senior Developer, Brandon Trecki, to the team.