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Create memorability – and win share of wallet – with humour in your marketing communications. Download our report now

The Case For Strategic Levity

Humour shouldn’t be a gimmick - it’s a neurological strategy. Smoking Gun’s landmark new report, 'The Case for Strategic Levity', explores the role of humour in brand communications - and how to make it land in order to be memorable.

JOIN OUR FREE WEBINAR: 11:00-12:00, Thursday 17th June

We are hosting a webinar to bring to life our landmark report, ‘The Case for Strategic Levity’.

Smoking Gun’s Chief Storyteller Carl Stroud will be joined by Dr Eleanor Bryant, Health Behaviour Psychologist at Bradford University, to unpack how humour enhances emotional recall and learning, shifts attitudes and encourages preference – ultimately helping brands win by driving memorability and mental availability.

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    In a world overwhelmed by crisis, conflict, and chaos the role of humour in marketing communications has never been more vital – or more misunderstood.

    Consumers are not short on information. They are drowning in it. Bad news is constant. Against this backdrop, rational messages fall flat. Fear tactics backfire. Brands that stick to the script become part of the noise.

    It’s time to change the tone.

     

    Pictured right: Dr. Eleanor Bryant, Health Behaviour Psychologist at Bradford University

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    Picture of scientist Dr Eleanor Bryant

    This report makes a neuroscience-backed case for change. It introduces Strategic Levity – a bold but evidence-based approach to marketing that treats humour, play, and lightness not as creative flourishes but as neurologically powerful tools for engagement, connection and memory.

    The first report from our Intention Unit, it combines expert insights from Dr. Eleanor Bryant, Health Behaviour Psychologist at Bradford University, with new findings from a survey of 100 senior UK marketeers.

    Brands that dare to play, that connect through well-judged humour, will be the brands that win hearts, minds, share of voice – and consumer spend.

    If this report makes one thing clear, it’s that in these times, levity isn’t optional. It’s essential.

    DOWNLOAD The Case for Strategic Levity report

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