44 Unexpectedly Funny Signs People Found In The Wild

There was a time when a piece of content’s viewability (a.k.a the measure of whether an advertisement was actually seen by a human) was the main metric. But since digital marketing is ever-evolving, that criterion shifted more to an ad’s ability to draw a person’s attention. 

Advertising Week describes this as the “Attention Economy,” in which surveys have shown that attention is three times more predictive of an advertisement's effectiveness.

Creativity is key to driving attention. As you will see in many of these signs, the messaging was designed to address the reader directly. 

Advertising Week also noted that optimized ads received 49% more attention than run-of-the-mill ads.

It’s likely been a while since you last saw a funny ad. Recent stats also indicate a decline in the use of humor in advertising. According to a 2022 survey by Kantar, only 33% of ads incorporated something funny into advertising campaigns. 

The survey showed that the decline was at its sharpest during the early 2010s, a few years after the global recession, and following the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. 

It’s why industry professionals like DDB Global Strategy Partner Juan Isaza are pushing to bring back humor in advertising. In a Forbes article, he noted that humor facilitates recognition through buzz and familiarity. 

In marketing a product or service, Isaza calls for the use of humor because it increases purchase intention. He noted research from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute showing that adding a joke or two can drive sales by up to 45%. 

“The fundamental reason humor helps build your brand is that advertising and content are created for human beings, and human beings are governed by emotions, and humor builds emotional connection,” Isaza wrote.