Spoiler alert: corporate events aren’t always hilarious.
As an attendee, you might hope to learn something new or meet someone interesting. But expecting to be entertained… even to the point of laughing out loud? Now you’re just being greedy.
Yet that’s exactly what we aim to do at our clients’ corporate events. We want people to loosen up and genuinely enjoy themselves. After a day of serious sessions, they need a release valve. A bit of levity is a reminder that as a company, they can still have a good time and not take themselves too seriously.
So, our goal is to create video content that turns the humor dial up to just the right level. It’s a delicate balance: go too far and people are uncomfortable; don’t go far enough and, well… crickets.
The risk is high with comedy – much more than with dramatic or informative content. But when you do it right, the payoff is well worth it.
How We Find the Humor Dial
Every organization has its own humor dial, and it’s our job to help them define it. We start by getting to know a brand’s culture – and determining what type of humor will fit with it.
Some companies have an open, fast-paced, loud culture. They don’t mind being a little edgy with their humor, and their dial can crank pretty high toward the fun, the sarcastic and the racy.
Other companies have a conservative and buttoned-up culture, and their dial is much lower. For them, more goofy or slapstick comedy is a better choice.
The bottom line is that the humor dial needs to feel authentic to an organization. Otherwise a video’s jokes land wrong, and we all have to suffer through terrible awkward laughter.
We find that the longer we work with clients, the funnier the content gets. By building relationships and developing trust with their stakeholders, we understand who they are and what they find funny.
3 Rules for Turning the Dial
- Use an inside joke.
A video needs to tap into an organization’s identity. The humor has to look and feel like the people who work there, so inside jokes play exceptionally well. Well-known leaders, niche vocabulary, even a little company drama (within reason) is great material for an audience in the know.
- Go for the recognizable (and make it your own).
We all love the familiar, so reimagining a recognizable format or style is often a good place to start. A movie parody, a mockumentary or a fake advertisement can be the foundation of hilarious new content. We often cast employees as the talent in these videos, which adds a participatory, fun element to them.
- Deliver great production value.
Timing is everything in comedy, and we take great pride in using our expertise to deliver it every single time. We get the footage we need in the first shoot, and we edit to perfection to ensure laughs on cue.
Need help finding your company’s humor dial? We are here to help. Get in touch.