Although business is serious business, some companies have done pretty darn well using a lighthearted approach to marketing. Here are a few examples, companies I started following on my now moribund humor blog, Scrambled Toast.

Big Ass Fans
Big Ass Fans is a manufacturer of … you guessed it, big ass fans used for large areas such as auditoriums, barns, and distribution warehouses. Their formula for success? Make a quality product and have fun promoting it. The Big Ass spokesman is none other than Chicago Bears legend William “The Refrigerator” Perry. Their Web site includes an amusing size comparison chart, a company blog, Donkey Speak, an hilarious customer feedback section (now featuring audio), and a Big Ass store. If you explore the site you’ll also see plenty of serious information about their products and charitable giving. Does the Big Ass blend of humor and quality work? Well, according to a recent press release, the firm added 53 people in 2007. In the industrial marketplace, their name recognition is positive and second to none.

New Pig Corporation
Moving from donkeys to swine, New Pig Corporation is truly one of the remarkable success stories in the world of janitorial, maintenance, and safety products. They call their product catalog a Pigalog®. Their Web site includes a Fun section hosted by company mascot, Sparky, and pun-filled content including one of their taglines, Partners in Grime®. Again, notice New Pig presents plenty of serious nuts and bolts content, to say nothing of its outstanding line of products. This company, too, has achieved superior name recognition in a very crowded field, and has grown its business steadily over many years. The light touch is working.

Hormel SPAM
Let’s move on to another porcine product. Did you know SPAM has its own Web site? Did you know there is a SPAM Museum, or that there will be a SPAMARAMA® in 2008? You can visit the SPAM Store and get all sorts of gifts, including SPAM hats, SPAM sippy cups, SPAM calculators, SPAM snow domes, and SPAM boxer shorts. This historic food product of questionable health value has an unquestionably loyal base of customers. Hormel’s entertaining portrayal of the SPAM product line is getting bottom line results. Read this Hormel News Release carefully and you will learn that Hormel’s first quarter 2008 earnings were up 17%, “aided by strong sales of the SPAM family of products …”

Why Humor Works
Humor reduces tension between buyers and sellers. When humor becomes interactive, as in the case of Big Ass Fan’s customer feedback pages, it builds steadfast bonds of loyalty. Humor increases brand awareness. The average customer may not remember the horsepower requirements of a 24-foot ceiling fan, but he will remember a donkey. And he definitely won’t remember where he bought his last order of oil absorbent pillows unless he remembers a pig.

This is why my lighthearted business cartoon business should be taken seriously. I’m continually amazed by how often clients who use them report how well their cartoons are remembered and what effective ice breakers they when starting sales conversations.

What about You?
Do you use humor in your business? What do you do, and how has it been working?