How to use humor in employer branding—and attract top talent
Being ‘funny’ in your external messaging is like walking a tightrope, but the payoff for success goes beyond recruitment: It can bolster your public-facing brand image and raise staffers’ pride.
Everyone has that one friend who can make you laugh until you collapse in a crying heap.
It’s the kind of friend you can’t wait to wheel out—the comedic genius with a knack for irony and a talent for a well-timed quip. If funny people abound in real life, why, then, do employer branding specialists find it so challenging to make us laugh?
Part of it’s a fear of polarizing the audience and delivering the killer punchline, only to see them react as though you’ve just read out the most rudimentary dad joke.
The other element is a misgiving over what the brand stands for. If you’re at a large company with a corporate dress code and a marble-clad lobby, does a pun-tastic subject line or witty meme align with your overarching proposition and values?
We get why brand managers feel funny about being funny. We also know that those who take a risk with their communications can win big, particularly in the world of employer branding. What could be more appealing than an organization with a great collective sense of humor demonstrating that it’s all about being human rather than stiffly corporate?
To show you the way, here are three companies that are nailing a humorous approach to employer branding:
1. Kantega: The mysterious life of software developers
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