Life is LOL

Has it already been a week?! Ok wow, and also hi there!

It happened by accident, but we might have started a “funny people business club” (= definitely a work title) this week. It is actually as simple as it sounds: for now we’re a group of 6 people who love to laugh and talk about business ideas. We are funny. We drink wine. We open our network for each other. We eat food.
I had a fantastic night and there are no pictures of it. 📷 🙃 📵

This is already the fourth Branding Donkeys Newsletter - sent every week until I decide to stop. Was this mail forwarded to you? 👇

Who am I

Who am I? This question sounds far more philosophical than I intended it to be. But I feel I am struggling when people ask me what I like to do in (professional) life or what this newsletter is about. I just love a lot of things. And that’s against all rules of a good business proposition. Every business coach or expert will tell you that it is important to make your message or product as clear as possible. Don’t be just a business developer. Be the business developer for ex. e-commerce. Or even: e-commerce in Belgium. A storyteller specialised in theme parks? Or a pr-agency with focus on restaurants? Narrow it down.

I think I’m not ready to narrow it down. And will I ever be? I recently learned about the ‘creative generalist.’ A creative generalist is someone who possesses a broad range of skills and knowledge across different disciplines or fields rather than specializing in a single area. This term is often associated with individuals who excel at connecting ideas and concepts from diverse domains, bringing a multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving and innovation. Et voilà, that’s totally me!

What is the connecting factor here, you might ask? Aha, I did too! (That’s one of the advantages of writing random newsletters on your sofa on a Sunday afternoon: you take a moment to think about the bigger picture of things.) And it might just be: JOY. Having fun in life. Laughing. Positive energy. Humor. Maybe that is what I’m trying to create here — a community of people who like to work and, especially, laugh? Not the greatest business model, I’m aware. But it's something that makes me happy.

Where is all the funny?

This made me think (a lot of thinking on that sofa here), why do most people take themselves so seriously? Where is all the funny? Is this a sort of imposter syndrome? Or is it a societal thing? We all know that navigating the societal landscape is more complicated than it used to be. Maybe I sound a bit boomerish and anti-woke, but why can’t we have jokes anymore? I mean, purpose and humor aren’t enemies! It doesn’t mean we should give up on humor altogether, no? Of course, not at any cost. You don't want to randomly offend under the excuse of ‘a joke’. You don't want to intentionally hurt. But occasionally laughing with each other (or yourself) should still be possible, right?

A little anecdote! A few years ago, I edited a book for Maison Slash, it was a funny gift book with quotes and recognizable situations from parenthood. We pitched the name: 'Kak, dat wist ik niet voor ik kinderen had' (= Shit I didn't know before having kids). It was a good concept because 'shit' relates to diapers, but also to the chaos and the frustration about not having control over your own life anymore. Moreover, it's an excellent book to read on the toilet—the only place where you can be alone for 5 minutes when you have children.
(Did someone tell me this week that this newsletter is fun to read on the toilet? Maybe. And I’ll take this as a compliment 💩)

Long story short: we managed to keep the title, but it caused a heated discussion. The buyer from the most important bookstore in Belgium thought the title was too vulgar and it wouldn't sell. Our readers proved him wrong, and we sold a couple of thousand copies of it. You can still buy the books (there is a second edition about parenting teenagers), it’s a perfect Christmas gift !

More engagement = more impact

I happened to read an interesting article about humor in advertising on LinkedIn this week. A recent study found that 91% of people around the world like it when brands are funny. YES ! And when given a choice, 72% would pick a brand that uses humor over one that doesn't! Wow.

Yet, apparently, humor in ads has declined for over 20 years; this trend increased after the financial crisis in 2009 and then again after the pandemic. Boohoo! Too bad because it is proven that humor can help improve brand connection.

Recently, I advised someone with her keynote to make it more fun, and she was blown away by the effect. More interaction, more engagement, more impact. 🎯

Brandlove

Maybe because my guts are still healing after a week of junk food in New York, but let’s talk about McDonalds! McDonalds get many things right when it comes to marketing. But how they master humor to use as a community builder, is just extraordinary!

The one thing I think they smash above everyone else is this one simple community tactic: inviting interaction. The social team of McDonalds regularly shares content that is easy and fun for their audience to get involved with. Some examples! 👇

I found these 3 easy ways to follow the same strategy as McDonalds on ‘Pretty Little Marketer’. Read and save!! 💾 

1. Ask an opinion → ex. “Let me know in the comments below who you think could take on McDonalds as marketing masters”

2. Give responsibility → ex. “We want to hear from you! Who do you want on next season’s podcast?”

3. Gamify it → ex. “If you could run any brand’s X account, who’s would you pick and why?”

To watch

This week, I didn't read any books or listen to a specific podcast. Nope. I was addicted to TikTok because I needed a laugh. I became hooked on this comedian named Matt Rife. The man doesn't shy away from any subject to turn it into humor. And he succeeds brilliantly without hurting anyone. You have to watch this. These are short videos, max 2 minutes, but they are funny and addictive. The only thing… now I have no way to tell my teenagers to stop watching short videos all the time because it is harming their attention span. Whatever. I get it now. This is fun. Make it stop.

@matt_rife

He asked for it 👀😂😅🦌 #comedy #standup #standupcomedy #funny #mattrife #improv #crowdwork #roast #handicap #hunting