A Case for Puns: Make Wordplay Work for You

The pun—it’s a cherished conversational tool among dads and your most endearingly annoying friends. A pun is a joke that exploits different possible meanings of a word, or words which sound alike but have different meanings. Whether it makes you laugh or groan, I’m here to tell you that the pun is both a superior form of humor, and an effective marketing tool. Its impact comes from a blend of familiarity and novelty, both of which have distinct effects on our brains.

Familiarity

The pun relies on the fact that the recipient of the joke is already familiar with the words used. For example, if I say that it’s punderstandable that you hate puns, you already know the respective meanings of “pun” and “understandable,” and can infer the new, joke-y meaning of the words smashed together (insert groan here).

Why do we, as humans, love familiarity? According to the mere exposure theory, the more we are exposed to a stimulus, the more we tend to like it. This is because the brain has a chance to categorize it into a known pattern, and known patterns require less energy to respond to. Since the brain has evolved to be efficient, processing what is familiar requires less energy and is therefore more immediately attractive than the unfamiliar. If you watch the same show over and over, or cook the same tried-and-true recipe, you’re enjoying the brain’s positive response to familiarity. 

Novelty

The brilliance of the pun is that it also uses novelty to attach a new meaning to a familiar phrase or word structure. I once put together a sale sheet for a beer and bratwurst pairing with the headline The Best Way to Wurst! Readers are familiar with the tension between the concepts of “best” and “worst,” but I introduce novelty when I use a word that has the same sound but a different meaning to tie the concept to the promotion. 

Novelty and surprise are common features in humor, because they cause our brains to release dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for delivering feelings of pleasure, satisfaction and motivation. This connection between novelty and dopamine helps humans recognize beneficial opportunities and act on them. Because marketing is geared toward inspiring a consumer action, like clicking on a link to learn more, novelty is an important selling tool.

Effective Wordplay in Marketing

As a professional copywriter, I’m a big fan of using wordplay, including puns, in advertisements. A well-placed pun capitalizes on the consumer’s need for both soothing familiarity and stimulating novelty, striking an attractive balance between these opposing needs, and encouraging them to take an action. 

So, if cleverness or playfulness is part of your brand’s identity, unleash your inner silly goose and try using punny headlines to catch attention, entertain, and draw consumers to your brand.

Need copywriting help? Copy that! Email TheReadingLady at allylevise@gmail.com to get started.