Comedy in the Post-Purpose Era

After years of purpose-driven messaging, humour is making its comeback in advertising - and Vi La lives at the  intersection of both worlds. By day, she’s a senior creative strategist at Rethink New York; by night, she’s a stand up comedian. Vi talks about comedy's resurgence in brand messaging, the importance of having a creative outlet, and how comedy makes you a better creative professional. 

After years of heavy-handed, purpose-driven messaging, humour is making a comeback. The pandemic era saw brands lean into grand, change-the-world statements (think Dream Crazy), but today, the tone has shifted. Cannes Lions introduced a Humour category in 2024, and Super Bowl ads like Pringles’ flying moustache and Mountain Dew’s singing seal prove one thing: at a time where little makes sense, advertising can flip the nonsensical and absurd on its head—reflecting reality back to us in a way that feels lighter, funnier, and perhaps, a bit more hopeful.

I’ve had the privilege of seeing this shift from two perspectives. By day, I craft creative strategies at Rethink New York; by night, I test jokes on live audiences as an amateur stand up comedian. The more I do both, the more I realise that what makes people laugh in comedy clubs might just be what helps brands cut through today's sceptical landscape.

Why Humour, Why Now?

From talking to young people, whether in focus groups at my 9-5 or with a live audience in my 5-9, I can't shake the feeling that we're collectively exhausted. Consumers have spent years being told to “do the right thing”, while actual progress remains frustratingly incremental. 

Years of listening to lofty brand promises have made consumers experts at spotting who’s truly living their values vs. who’s just riding the wave. That’s exactly why humour is cutting through: in a world where everything feels like a performance, comedy tells the truth—because it’s rooted in truths. 

I had the opportunity to see this come to life first hand: humour played a pivotal role in Delivery, Done—a campaign our team launched for Uber Direct, an on-demand B2B delivery platform. By playing out ridiculous scenarios where DIY delivery goes hilariously wrong, we showed restaurants that Uber Direct is still a better idea than… relying on your unhinged cousin—or a zipline.

In 2025, if you want consumers' attention, make it worth their time: entertain them, make them laugh, or don't bother showing up. Drawing from my experiences, here are three principles of comedy that can help brands navigate this post-purpose landscape.

Principle #1: Truth in Exaggeration.

Great comedy finds truth hiding in plain sight and makes it impossible to ignore. When testing new material, I’ve noticed audiences laugh hardest not at wild scenarios but at exaggerated versions of their own lives.

In a world where consumers have grown sceptical of lofty claims, the best way to earn their attention is by holding up a mirror to everyday life. That's the power of a sharp insight: expressing something everyone knows, but no one has articulated. When you find that truth, ask yourself: "What's the most exaggerated version of this?". Then push it even further. 

Heinz’s Pour Perfectly, crafted by our team at Rethink, shows the power of zeroing in on an unspoken truth. Everyone knows the struggle of getting ketchup out of a glass bottle—we’ve all smacked, twisted, and tilted it in search of the perfect pour. The team took that tiny frustration and turned it into a product innovation: a tilted label that matches the exact pouring angle. A solution so simple it makes people both laugh and wonder why no one thought of it sooner.

Principle #2: Subverting Expectations. 

Comedy thrives in the space between what people anticipate and what actually happens. The first lesson I learned in stand up is joke structure: create a setup that feels familiar, then deliver a punchline that twists in an unexpected direction.

In advertising, subversion is more powerful than ever. After years of predictable marketing, audiences can smell a sales pitch from a mile away. The brands that cut through today are those that break their own mould. Ask yourself, "What would everyone expect a brand in this category to say?" Then do something different.

Liquid Death's Safe for Work Super Bowl Spot exemplifies this. It sets up professionals in high-stakes jobs reaching for a drink—only to reveal they're just drinking water from Liquid Death. By leaning into beer advertising tropes, Liquid Death flips the script in a way an earnest, save-the-environment water brand never could.

Principle 3: Having Self-Awareness. 

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in stand up: owning your flaws makes you more likable. When a comedian calls out their own quirks before the audience can, it disarms people and builds trust.

The same applies to brands. Nothing turns people off faster than a brand trying too hard to be something it’s not—whether it’s forcing an awkward social stance or overselling its importance. Ask, “If someone were roasting us, what would they say?” Or, “What would an anti-fan of the brand say?” Then own it with humour and humility. Laugh at yourself first, and suddenly, your critics might start laughing with you instead of at you. And if you’re lucky, you might even win them over—because nothing earns respect faster than honesty.

Supercuts’ Super Dumb Coupon is a perfect example of this. Rather than ignoring or defensively responding to online trolls who mock budget haircuts, Supercuts leaned in—offering a coupon that adds $50 to the cost of a cut for those who think affordable means bad. A bold, self-aware move that turns criticism into a punchline, proving the brand is confident enough to laugh at itself.

The Bottom Line

Straddling both strategy and stand up has taught me this: in uncertain times, humour isn’t a way out —it’s a way through. When a joke lands, whether on stage or in a campaign, it's because it cuts through the noise and hits on something real. And in a 2025 where audiences are exhausted by empty promises, that moment of shared understanding might be the most valuable thing a brand can offer.