I was recently in Canada.

And since that’s my way, wherever I go, I look at what’s happening in marketing. That’s how I got to enjoy a legendary battle: Pepsi vs. Coca-Cola, the Quebec version.

The evening I arrived in La Belle Province, someone said to me laughingly: “Ici, c’est Pepsi.” He showed me the refrigerator full of blue cans, as if it was a declaration of cultural identity. I said he was joking. But he wasn’t kidding.

In Quebec, it really is Pepsi. And not by chance.

In 1984, Pepsi collaborated with comedian Claude Meunier, creating a series of commercials that tenderly mocked the typology of the authentic Quebecer: proud, joking, a little rebellious. The campaigns have taken deeper roots than anyone expected: Pepsi has become part of the local identity. Humor, self-irony and, above all, a healthy dose of truth were used.

The result? In Quebec, Pepsi became the market leader, outscoring Coca-Cola even 2 to 1 at one point. And in 2012, they resumed the strategy: a spot in which a visitor from outside the region, a drinker of Coca-Cola, was put face to face with a simple truth: “Ici, c’est Pepsi.”

The humor was positioning.

It all made me think about how rarely we see brands today that can afford to be funny. And so we come to the idea of the article.

Too much “right” content is produced. That’s why we laugh less and less

Brands make content “safe”. Post at exact times, follow templates, don’t upset, don’t bother, don’t raise eyebrows.

Have you ever wondered why your brand doesn’t have reach? Maybe it’s not the algorithm. Not even the weather. It’s not that you post at 17:48 instead of 18:00. Maybe (and I say this with all my love) there is nothing there that deserves a human reaction.

We don’t want any more content. We want something that makes us feel like we’re alive. Let’s laugh. Let’s sigh and say: “That’s exactly right!”

Humor is the hardest emotion to work on in communication. Because she is the most sincere. You can mimic compassion. You can steal storytelling. But you can’t force laughter. People feel it when it’s pulled by the hair. And they run away.

Brands want to look funny. But without risking

Let’s be fun. But let’s not bother. Don’t let anyone laugh too hard. Joking tone, but corporate. Irony, but with the approval of HR.”. They are afraid of what this entails: vulnerability, self-irony, the courage to say something true.

According to studies (Ha! Do you like that with “studies”? You can also search for them yourself), humor is the most effective emotion in advertising, especially in mature markets because it differentiates at high speed. Not only does it attract attention, but it also builds lasting relationships with the public. After all, people don’t share the graphs.

Why does it have such a big impact? Simple: because it’s the only form of content that doesn’t ask us for the card from the first scroll. Humor releases dopamine, creates memories, activates positive associations. And, above all, it makes us not skip. And if you want numbers, we have those: +40% brand recall, +100% chances of not falling asleep (source: all the people who laughed well at least once at an advertisement.)

Big brands have budgets. You can have attitude

Humor (especially visual, fast and non-verbal) has a huge impact in fast-paced environments: TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reels. That is, exactly the places where your brand has 3 seconds to say something.

The grown-ups have already understood:

• Uber Eats is kidding. Pringles jokes. The Super Bowl is no longer about American football, but about who gets the best joke in 30 seconds;
• You have a Facebook account and two people in the comments who keep asking if you have delivery at Cuca Măcăii. And ok. You don’t have to be Pringles. But at least don’t pretend you’re NASA.

But the truth is this: humor without insight is just noise. If it doesn’t start from a real observation, it’s like an internal joke that only the creative team laughs at.

B2B = Boring to Boring (if you want)

Think about how many local IT, ERP or consulting providers seem to be written by the same hand. And how many specialists write a sales email that sounds like a fine from ANAF. Because B2B does not mean business to business. It means “boring to boring”, if you don’t assume a voice.

But most B2B brands still live with fear in their eyes: “What if someone laughs and it wasn’t the case?” Spoiler: Era.

Unwritten Rules of Humor in Marketing (Okay, Now They’re Written)

1. Know your audience. Gen Z laughs at something other than the 50+ manager. Usually.
2. Test the tone. It’s okay to play, but don’t forget who you are. Or who you think your brand is.
3. Context matters. Be relevant. A good joke, told late, is just sad.
4. Do you have a direction? Don’t post everything you think is “cool”. Some jokes are just to be told over coffee.
5. Stay away from cringe. (It’s enough on the internet. The Romanian Post is already in charge of deliveries).
6. If it sounds like something your drunk uncle would say at the wedding, leave it alone.
7. If you need 4 approvals for a joke, you don’t have a brand. You have a local council.

Those who did it right

Ryanair: “You paid €9.99. You’ll survive.”

A brand that doesn’t pretend to be something else. It does not offer luxury. They have no legroom. He doesn’t ask for love. But they have self-irony. And he combines it with cheeky humor, aware of the flaws.

Ryanair Style

• Ironic, naughty, absolutely aware of flaws
• Meme-based marketing with self-irony and sarcasm
• Responses to hate with even more humor

Why it works

• Young Target (Gen Z & Millennials), familiar with meme culture
• Low expectations + honest delivery = unexpected confidence
• Memes become a vehicle for distribution (distributable content, not just viewable)

Branding doesn’t have to make you look cool. But memorable. And honest humor is the shortest way to that.

Pepsi vs Coca-Cola: The Eternal Rivalry With Meme Twist

Pepsi has always been a challenger. So they made jokes about it. And people loved them because they had self-irony. Do you have the courage to say what you are not? Some of the most memorable campaigns come from the fact that Pepsi knows it’s not Coca-Cola and doesn’t shy away from saying it.

Whether it’s commercials in which a child uses two cans of Coca-Cola as a step to get to Pepsi or campaigns in which the Halloween costume of a can of Coke was… a dose of Pepsi with a hero’s cloak, humor has always been part of Pepsi’s DNA.

What we learn from this

• Humor works when you’re aware of your place.
• Memes are the new form of competitive comparison. And people love a good roast.

Duolingo: the app that makes fun of you to learn

If school had Duolingo’s humor, we would have spoken 3 languages and not be afraid of grammatical mistakes on LinkedIn.

Duolingo has turned their green owl into a “social media monster” that makes jokes bordering on the absurd, threatens its users with passive-aggressive notifications, and posts reactions to trends faster than a Gen Z on a college break.

In 2025, Duolingo has taken humor to the next level. He got into AI culture, cloned his mascot into a “Duolingo Evil Twin” version that roasted users who didn’t take their lessons.

Why it works

• They are hyper-contextual (in the language of the platform, with specific inside jokes)
• They have assumed tone of voice (passive-aggressive, but adorable)
• It totally distances itself from the classic “educational brand”

What we learn from this

• Make your brand persona a voice with real features. With sarcasm. With personality.
• Jokes are the gateway to loyalty. People don’t forget the brand that made them laugh just when they were procrastinating.

Why doesn’t everyone use humor?

Because it’s hard. Because it’s risky. Because it doesn’t have an approval button. Because humor is, in fact, an act of radical positioning: you choose to be different.

And because:

• It’s easier to make 10 safe posts than one that says something
• It’s easier to invoke brand guidelines than to have courage
• It’s easier to be afraid that people won’t laugh than to assume that you’re vulnerable

But people laugh. If what you tell them is true. And well said.

Here comes the part with the tips

1. Start from insight, not from jokes. What hurts? What is absurd? What does no one say?
2. Write simply. If you need 4 sentences to explain the joke, it’s not a joke.
3. Test. What’s not funny for you can be gold for the target. But the reverse is even more often true.
4. Think in formats. The joke does not live alone. You can put it in a video, in a carousel, in an email.
5. Be consistent. A brand doesn’t get witty with a good post.

Agencies that have understood humor are already building campaigns based on it. Psychology & Marketing studies show that it does not guarantee instant sales, but it amplifies brand recall, increases sympathy and predisposition to conversations.

Humor doesn’t sell overnight. But it leaves traces. It’s a weapon. And sometimes the only way to get people to stop scrolling. It’s not about being nice. It’s about being authentic, observant, courageous.

In conclusion: if you’ve come this far… Maybe you felt a bit of truth. But you know what? Pepsi won Quebec with a good joke. You can win over your audience as well. If you want to build a brand that matters, start with something simple: make it human.

Humor is proof that a brand has a heart, not just a budget. And we, at Klain, are here to make sure that you can hear the beating.