Why so serious? Humour and pharma – the power of an unlikely combo

Laughter is the best medicine – isn’t that how the old saying goes? Well, in all seriousness, it turns out there is ample scientific evidence to back it up!

Laughter strengthens your immune system, boosts mood, diminishes pain and protects you from the damaging effects of stress.

With this considered, it feels like it should be an obvious choice to use humour when talking about health.

Humour has certainly been a staple in consumer marketing for decades, with playful campaigns that incorporate humour in its many forms to build brand engagement and recognition.

But in healthcare communications, where reputational risk and compliance cast a long shadow, humour has largely been left behind

There are important considerations when using humour in brand marketing and communications but let us start with a little-known fact. There is actually no regulatory limitation when it comes to the use of humour in healthcare communications.

Without these presumed limitations it becomes all about doing it well.

Through many conversations with healthcare communicators and marketing brand leaders, we know there is an appetite for humour but concerns over trivialising serious health issues and navigating compliance hurdles have held them back.

At the same time, a survey of 2,000 UK consumers – amongst which will be patients and healthcare professionals – showed that 75% believe humour has a role in healthcare communications.

Over half said humour helps to reduce fear around tough topics, and 42% said it encourages open discussion. Now we are getting somewhere….

In a healthcare landscape where complex information is common currency and driving change in behaviour and attitudes is the name of the game, building emotional resonance cannot be ignored as a critical aspect to make an impression.

Emotion-driven marketing and communications highlighting shared human experiences make content relatable and a touch of humour will stand out.

It’s not a fast trend – is there such a thing in the world of healthcare marketing? – but the tide is turning, with humour making an appearance as one of WRAC’s top 11 effectiveness trends from Cannes Lions 2024.

The appetite is clearly there, but it’s likely most healthcare brands will be hesitant to take the leap.

Of course, not all topics are a laughing matter. Sensitivity and compassion must always be top of mind.

But sometimes a well-meaning cautious approach can limit the opportunity to make an impact and drive positive actions. As with any business idea or campaign, assumptions and shortcuts are not part of the equation for success.

Before diving into content creation, take the opportunity to explore how humour as part of the brand and communication strategy can be an avenue to break taboos and bring to life audiences’ lived experiences in a more meaningful and engaging way.

And should you be bold and go forth with humour for your campaigns or brand marketing, don’t skip on doing market research and testing as you create your content.

This should be both as a tool to bring business stakeholders along for the ride but more importantly, to engage with customers to help adjust and fine-tune both the content and its delivery.

Humour exists on a spectrum as demonstrated by campaigns – witty, cheeky, playful, there are many options to choose from.

Excluding any US direct-to-consumers campaigns, some of which through the years have famously put humour front and centre, disease awareness is certainly a territory where healthcare brands and organisations have dipped their toe in the water.

From specific campaigns like ‘Give HIV the finger’ to brand identity for advocacy groups like CoppaFeel all the way to partnerships like the one between Bowel Cancer and Andrex, public education and awareness of health issues is an opportunistic space to explore humour in healthcare to tackle taboos and spark conversation.

When done right, the chances are humour will also work to get the attention of prescribers and policy-makers too. They are people after all, something that often gets overlooked in campaigns aimed at professional audiences.

So, humour and its potential for delivering messages in a more human tone becomes the next challenge for healthcare marketing and communications leaders.

Incorporating humour as part of your communication strategy or campaigns may feel risky, but with thoughtful intentions – and your audience experience front of mind – it can humanise your brand, break down barriers and engage people in conversations that truly matter.

The potential for a bolder approach is ripe for exploration.
The competitive healthcare market together with a busy media landscape is pushing pharma brands to innovate and rethink communications into the future – will you join the ride?

Isabelle Scali is Head of Pharma at Brands2Life. Go to brands2life.com