The case for serious companies to be a little silly
How do you make your company memorable while maintaining the level of professionalism that is appropriate for your industry? I would argue that professional does not mean strict or stuffy. This is likely one of the biggest misunderstandings about marketing in any serious industry. I have worked in healthcare, transportation, education, and finance, all of which are known for being serious business. Meanwhile, some of the best campaigns to win customers and delight our audiences have been human, fun, and sometimes silly enough to make even the most serious CEOs giggle.
Humor and fun are human; they connect us in ways that numbers and strict professionalism won’t.
Testing something funny
Xylem Tree Experts and Kendall Vegetation Services regularly attend industry events to showcase their capabilities. Each booth has giveaways that bring people in to talk about what we do. While we were planning for the annual Trees & Utilities conference, I thought, what if we tested something funny, simple, and cheap to produce as another giveaway? This idea led to punny bumper stickers.
The reception
I anticipated these stickers would be picked up and be a good conversation starter; I did not expect we would get social media engagement or become popular in our General Foreperson School and CDL Program.
What started as a test for a giveaway at an event turned into a way to connect with our employees and for them to show pride in their work. We continue to send these out and plan on expanding the concept to build on the good feelings these bring.
Why is fun important?
Little things help build positive connections in the workplace. The goal of the campaign was to bring some fun into our marketing and help business development start conversations. What it also did was help spark some joy in the work we do, and that helps build a positive workplace culture. Potential customers will see if your workers are happy, and workers are more likely to delight them in return.
When was the last time you had some fun with a potential customer or vendor? How did that affect your long-term professional relationship? Sharing in fun can strengthen our work relationships, and that can lead to better cooperation, more productivity, and build trust.
These bumper stickers will not change the world, but if they get someone to giggle a little while driving down the interstate, that's a positive association with the brand. And if the person who put that sticker on their bumper is proud enough of their job to put it there, that's one more positive association.
In conclusion, being silly can be serious business.