There is substantial evidence that humor can make marketing more effective – especially for capturing attention, making an ad enjoyable, and creating positive feelings toward the ad.

Strongest academic evidence
A widely cited 2009 meta-analysis combined 369 statistical relationships from earlier advertising studies.   It found that humor significantly improved:

• Attention
• Positive emotional response
• Attitude toward the advertisement
• To some extent, attitude toward the advertised brand

An earlier major review reached the similar conclusion that: although humor is not a guarantee of a successful ad, it can be effective when it matches the audience, product, advertising objective, and context.

What industry research shows
In a Nielsen global survey, humor was the most appealing advertising theme among respondents in North America and Europe. About 50% of North American respondents said humorous advertising resonated with them.

Nielsen has also identified audience-appropriate humor as a characteristic of strong advertising because it can create an emotional connection and improve memorability.   Nielsen emphasizes that the humor must fit the audience and that the brand still needs to be clearly identified.

The most defensible benefits
The research most strongly supports saying that humor can:

1. Get attention. People are more likely to notice advertising that entertains them.
2. Improve ad likability. A funny ad is often viewed more favorably than an otherwise similar serious ad.
3. Create positive feelings. Some of those feelings can transfer to the brand.
4. Help memorability. Humor can make the situation, image, or message easier to remember.
5. Make a company feel approachable. Recent research suggests some forms of humor can increase perceptions of warmth or competence.
6. Encourage social engagement. Friendly, nonaggressive humor tends to perform better than sarcasm, mockery, or aggressive humor in social-media brand interactions.

One Important qualification
The safest conclusion is not that: “Humor increases sales.”
But rather, It is that: “Humor can increase attention, enjoyment, memorability, and positive attitudes toward advertising, which can improve the conditions under which marketing succeeds.”

Sales still depend on the offer, pricing, credibility, audience, call to action, and whether customers remember the business, rather than merely remembering the joke.