We’re Here For It: Why Having a Sense of Humor in PR Matters to Gen Z
Humor and emotion are arguably the two most important devices in writing. Each conveys a deeper level of understanding; through these two, the writer can get their audiences to “get” their topic (The girls who get it, get it, the girls who don’t, don’t). Every Gen Zer appreciates a company that can make them laugh. The advertising market has seen a shift in recent years to be as consumer-facing as possible. Today, advertisements are sure to stress what a product or service can do for the consumer. Let's talk about why using humor in PR efforts matters to Gen Z.
Humor as a Coping Mechanism
Gen Z has arguably recognized its trauma faster than any other generation to date. More specifically, by seeking therapy and mental health services: “In a report released by the American Psychiatric Association entitled “Stress in America: Generation Z” in October 2019, Gen Z were more likely to have received treatment or gone to therapy (37%) compared to Millennials (35%), Gen X’ers (26%), Baby Boomers (22%), and the Silent Generation (15%).”
Social media’s main purpose is to stay connected with others and be a source of entertainment for users. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, when it seemed like everyone’s mental health was at its worst, users took to social media to see if others were having the same feelings. With this, Gen Zers realized that adulthood is really not all it’s cracked up to be. Instead of accepting this fate, young adults unified to create a higher awareness of mental health struggles, through humor as a coping mechanism.
There are countless pages online that make their living by creating content that acknowledges struggles that others might be going through and many do it in a humorous way, both on TikTok and Instagram. Gen Z is here for brands that can appeal to them by recognizing human truths and transparency, something that was not a priority in the advertising style of older generations.
By using humor, PR professionals can make their content most effective by meeting Gen Z in a place where they’re most comfortable— entertainment. Keeping this in mind, we can look at how all of the content on social apps have nearly an “infinite frame of reference,” new videos build on the old and become even funnier. Users feel as if every joke on the internet has a shared sense of being intimate and an individual experience, despite that thousands of people are seeing the same content.
As James Blenko puts it: “A really easy way to meet people and make them like you is learning how to get them to laugh. For a lot of people who struggle more with social interaction like myself, humor was always the first thing you’d go to because it was more reliable.” PR can utilize humor to tap into the walls surrounding Gen Z and what they’re willing to interact with. After all, humor crosses racial, ethnic, inter-abled, and LGBTQIA+ friendly boundaries, reminding us that there are some areas of joy we can share together.
Having a Good Sense of Humor Makes the World's Best Leaders
One surefire way to develop credibility with any generation is to demonstrate understanding through humor. Einstein famously described that if one can’t explain something to a five-year-old, then one doesn’t truly understand it. PR is the same way. We can demonstrate understanding of our audiences by making the walls and barriers melt away in the conversations we’d like to start.
Humor is a Teachable Skill
In the TED talk “Why great leaders take humor seriously,” two business professionals, Jennifer and Naomi instruct “Don’t look for what’s funny, just look for what’s true.”
In PR, it’s important to find a “real truth” for our target audiences. So from here, we can filter what we’re already doing with the goal of reaching new topics that are otherwise hidden.
In an attention economy, your communication efforts as a PR professional must match the language of your audience. To circle back to what was mentioned above, instead of looking for what is funny, look for what is true in key insights from your audience and describe them in a new way. Gen Z cares about content that makes them laugh, it catches their attention like nothing else, so clever thought leadership is in your organization’s best interest.
Know When to be Professional & When to Lighten the Mood
Using humor is incredibly effective, but only when we realize its limitations. There is a very high turnover rate for what is considered funny to Gen Z. What might be trending today might fall flat tomorrow. As always, be sure to maintain crisis avoidance, as offensive references will land your company in the gutter. As an organization, it’s important to have media teams do their research. The best way to “air on the side of caution” is to have multiple teams look through the content. And who knows, they might just come up with some hilarious new ideas.
As PR professionals start to understand some essential background and points of interest, they can reach Gen Z where they are. Humor is a great way to make Gen Z feel seen and reveal ways in which we are able to reach them.
About Riley
Riley Sweet is a senior majoring in Advertising and Public Relations. This is her first year participating in GrandPR as she is looking to grow her PR skills. Her prior experience includes being apart of the National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) and interning for Grand Steel as 1/2 of their marketing team. After graduation, she plans on navigating the professional world by job hunting for the best opportunity, whichever city/state that may be.