Turns out, we all love to laugh. According to reports, a whopping 66% of social media marketers say funny content is the most effective, followed by relatable content (63%) and trendy content (59%). Funny content is also on the rise, receiving the second most investment of any content type in 2023. And we can confirm it’s true as our 2020 funny brands list is still the most popular article on our blog! So we’ve updated our list and we’re back with 10 funny brands on social media – the 2023 edition!
Contentworks Agency fans will know we’re big on strategy over here. Not all brands were destined to be humourous, salty or witty and that’s ok. While humour is a great way to build rapport with clients, showcase the personality of your brand and increase engagement, it must be done with care. Offensive, try-hard content that isolates or upsets groups of people is a massive no-go so approach with caution. Don’t veer too far from your brand’s strategy and social media KPIs or you could find yourself isolating fans and missing your target audience.
Alright, that’s enough guidance. Let’s see which brands made our funny list.
#1 Surreal
From their About section on LinkedIn which instantly sets the tone for what’s to come…
To their witty, edgy posts, cereal brand Surreal tunes into popular topics like AI and ChatGPT and uses them to create funny posts. Yes we’re all bored of ChatGPT generated posters on LinkedIn but this one is funny!
The brand also never shies away from audience interaction, being highly responsive with their social replies but never losing that uniquely humorous, often sarcastic tone. They’re not afraid to laugh at themselves either, which we love.
We particularly love their recent endorsement campaign which used the mascot names of other famous cereal brands in a bid to attract attention. For example, one billboard ad read, “We’re officially, Snap, Crackle and Pop’s Favourite Cereal.” Snap, Crackle and Pop are the mascots for Rice Krispies, but Surreal simply paid DJ Snap, Kayley Crackle and Ema Pop to endorse them. Genius. They also claimed to be the ‘Official Cereal of Tony Tiger’ the well-known mascot for Frosties. Endorsers were Tony Marshall who ‘works in construction’ and Tiger Brown who does ‘something in computers. Can’t remember what.’
Did you know – Humour in LinkedIn posts leads to a 10-20% increase in emotional engagement. Humour is highlighted as an effective way to capture attention and foster a more relatable brand presence, ultimately enhancing engagement levels
#2 Old Spice
What used to be a ‘dad brand’ (and not in a good way) has now become super trendy, with some slick, fresh marketing. The male grooming company recently launched an ad with a hilarious Dungeons & Dragons twist. This tied in with the Honor Among Thieves movie and was designed to promote the Swagger Dry Spray and Body Wash products in a unique and interesting way. By using the tagline, “Just because you work in a dungeon doesn’t mean you have to smell like one”, Old Spice seamlessly linked the commercial’s theme to the promoted product.
Plus, the D&D collaboration resulted in some epic tagging opportunities leading to a fresh new audience and improved brand reach. 
For a dab of extra ‘cool’ the ad also features American actress Michelle Rodriguez and movie star Justice Smith. Together, they bring a dynamic energy to the Old Spice brand with their chemistry and comedic timing perfectly embodying the brand’s message of confidence and swagger.
#3 Aldi
A long-running legal dispute between Aldi and M&S has given us many laughs over the years. When the German-based store introduced a cake called ‘Cuthbert the Caterpillar,’ M&S got in a right huff as it looked remarkably similar to their famous ‘Colin the Caterpillar’ cake. While a confidential settlement has since been made, Aldi still can’t resist a poke or two at their rivals. In fact, they’re even brazen enough to use the slogan, “Like M&S, but cheaper.” Imagine being so utterly fearless. We love it.
Aldi’s humour is always on point. The brand is well-known for being timely and relevant, with this Love Island-related post getting Cuthbert in on the action once again. Posting content such as this is a great way to connect with your audience and show you’re on the ball with seasonal trends. Considering Love Island has over 1.3 million viewers, Aldi effortlessly connects with fans with a character that’s rarely been out of the spotlight.
#4 Taco Bell
Taco Bell entertains their 1.9 million Twitter followers with endless humour. Their quick one-liners just keep on coming and we’re totally here for it. Imagine just eight words getting over 328K views and 2000+ likes. That’s exactly what happened with the comment below. They’re still marketing and showcasing new products, but their fun-loving style never falters.
They’re also not afraid to cleverly reshash old content for a laugh. Well – they were asked.
#5 Charmin
Everyone loves a bit of toilet humour, right? Well Charmin is full of it. Their recent Wear the Bear campaign which promotes a soft white hoodie was a catalyst for a host of funny posts. This one particularly made us laugh. And remember, ‘it’s called fashion, sweetie.’ ROFL.
The brand never skips a beat when it comes to sharing relatable and brand-relevant content too. When a man set a Guinness World Record for caning 17 Ghost peppers in one minute, Charmin were there stating, “see you on the other side.” Dang. Who could also forget the time when they dropped a floater in the East River to celebrate number twos on the 2/2/22? Talk about squeezing out a good one and putting some pretty epic content planning into action. It was just too good an opportunity to let go.
#6 Progressive Insurance
An insurance company? Funny? Yeah you heard it here first. Believe it or not Progressive Insurance relies heavily on humour to bring their brand to life. After all, it doesn’t have to all be about claims and policies to draw in an audience. This Father’s Day post, taps into the minds of text-reliant millennials who’d rather tap out a ‘love you dad’ message than pick up the phone and give him a call. Kinda cringe when you think about it. It speaks to the target audience of Progressive Insurance in a funny yet relatable way – and that’s got to be a good thing.
This wedding checklist is also pretty bang on. It covers the serious stuff with a decent side helping of humour to stop things from getting a little bit too deep. Wrapping up the post with ‘Potato Salad?’ enables Progressive Insurance to plug their insurance products without losing their comical tone of voice.
Oh and they’re also not afraid to ‘burn’ their followers. If you haven’t got a sense of humour then exit their socials!
#7 Ryanair
Ryanair is salty as hell with consumers. But they somehow manage to pull it off. Check out this reply to customers complaining that RyanAir didn’t sit them together. If you’re going to @ a brand renowned for their comebacks, then you’ve got to brace yourself for a reply. Jokes on them. Ryanair’s comments and responses are pretty amusing too.
And look at their reply to someone complaining about a lack of seat pockets. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
Like many funny brands out there, Ryanair doesn’t mind being the butt of the joke either. When someone asks for a free sandwich on their next flight, Ryanair replies, ‘sure, it’s called the middle seat.’ Well, they’re not wrong. They’re at it again in the comments section, playing on the fact that Ryanair knowingly charges for everything. Community engagement is key for this approach to work. Simply posting and walking away won’t have the same impact. Utilise listening tools and social media monitoring or ask Contentworks Agency to do it for you!
Do remember that Ryanair has a separate Twitter account for actual customer support. It would be pretty irresponsible of an airline not to have this, and Ryanair factored this into their strategy.
#8 Greggs
We all love a bit of relatable baked goods humour right? Well, Greggs never fails to disappoint. Firstly, their retweet game is on point. Why create your own jokes when someone has done the hard work for you? This was definitely too good not to share.
Secondly, they love a bit of banter, taking existing posts from popular accounts and giving them a pastry-related tweak. Love it. And sometimes they just keep things simple.
This post alone received a whopping 104.8k views. Nice.
#9 Seamless
Like Greggs, online food ordering service Seamless relies a lot on user-generated content to keep their channels upbeat and humorous.
Funny and oh-so-relatable. Relatable is key here because by retweeting funny stories, this brand is building a relatable community that will tag them in future tweets and posts. Learn more about user generated content in our recent blog post.
#10 Wendy’s
And last but certainly not least we have Wendy’s, a brand well-known for their roasting, burning and all-round savagery. Not only did they take a recent stab at McDonald’s with their ‘wheres the beef?’ remark, but they also got feisty in the comments section. When Plenty of Fish bounced back with ‘Where’s the Fish?’ Wendy’s replied, ‘This isn’t about you.’ Oh how we enjoy seeing a brand-based tussle.
And, of course, they came into their own on #NationalRoastDay with an animated version of the Wendy’s mascot laying into thick-skinned fans.
Which of these 10 funny brands on social media is your favourite? Perhaps we missed one? Tweet us @_contentworks with your pick. Contentworks Agency crafts expert marketing strategies for brands around the world. Talk to us about creating funny content for your brand.