Humour is becoming a defining part of how India’s younger social media users communicate and engage with brands, according to a new study by Snapchat and Omnicom Advertising, titled How to Laugh (and Win) with the Next Generation.
The research, covering over 6,000 social media users aged 13 to 28 across India, the US, UK, Canada, France and Germany, looks at how Gen Z and Gen Alpha use humour to build relationships, express identity and navigate culture. In India, 87% of Next Gen respondents said humour helps their generation discuss serious topics, while 90% said it lets them express things they wouldn’t otherwise say directly.
The commercial impact is significant too: 91% of respondents said they pay more attention to brands that are funny, 88% said they’re more likely to consider buying from such brands, and 93% said they would recommend a funny brand to others.
However, the study flags a real risk in getting the tone wrong. Four in five respondents said brand humour online can come across like older people trying too hard to joke with them – a sign that forced or culturally disconnected attempts at humour can backfire.
To address this, the study lays out a four-part ‘Zoomer Humour Playbook’ for marketers: reading the room, building the joke, finding the right moment, and winning on Snapchat.
Subramanyeswar (Subbu), Chief Strategy Officer, India and Chief Knowledge Officer, Asia, Omnicom Advertising, said humour functions as a language of belonging, intimacy and truth for India’s Next Gen, and that brands cannot manufacture their way into the joke – they must understand the culture behind it to earn a genuine place in the conversation.
