There is a fine line between “brilliant” and “inappropriate” when using humor in your web video. It’s important to create a balance between your company’s values and maintaining viewer interests.
In the absence of humor or an entertainment value, a company’s description can seem dull and fail to achieve the objective of hooking its viewers. On the other hand, a web video that tries too hard to provide comic relief can sometimes cloud the message a company wishes to convey.
The challenge is, what exactly do informational and entertaining web videos look like?
We recently produced a motion graphics video for GFI Wireless Sentry – an online security company that needed to find a way to generate more interest to their security products. To do this, GFI wanted to empathize with their customers using quirky humor throughout the video. The informative video starts off with a reflection of how extreme we are digitally connected by referencing the fact that a “smart toilet” can now be flushed via. a smartphone app.
This use of humor changes how viewers absorb the information in the video, as it establishes a natural flow in communication, humanizing GFI’s offerings with relatable details that we can even laugh at.
The video proceeds to present the problem that Wireless Sentry helps solve by using a real example that is relatable, humorous and memorable. By telling the story of a “smart refrigerator” being used to send spam messages, the challenge is presented and the audience is going to remember this anecdote.
The video utilizes humor without deviating from the message that it intends to convey. Even when companies have serious products or services, there can be ways to lighten up the mood, whether it’s the images used or even the script. While there is no exact science behind how much humor should be included, this video offers a great example of how our team was able to utilize humor to enhance the messaging without crossing the line of detracting from the seriousness of the product.
Check out the full web video here, and let us know what you think!
