A Motion research analyzing $100 million in advertising spend reveals that humorous content accounts for 25% of direct-to-consumer ads receiving more than $1 million in spend, despite representing only 14% of total social media advertising content.
In addition, Motion’s survey of 500 DTC advertisers indicates that traditional assumptions about performance marketing requiring a serious tone may be misaligned with current data. The research cites marketing firm Kantar’s findings that while only 33% of studied ads incorporate humor, half of their highest-performing ads utilize comedic elements.
“Social advertising used to be the Wild West,” says Joanna Wallace, Director of Paid Media Creative at HexClad. “Now we have a million brands on the internet, including legacy brands… how are you supposed to show that you’re not a flash in the pan?”
The report indicates that brands are responding to this challenge by incorporating more humorous content into their advertising strategies.
Source: Motion
Performance Data and Industry Response
According to Meta Creative Strategist Gil Chaimovski, high-performing DTC brands are producing between 50-70 new ads weekly on Meta platforms alone.
Growth Consultant Barry Hott reports success with AI-assisted ad production for supplements and other products, noting significant cost reductions in production while maintaining performance metrics.
The research documents that humor’s effectiveness extends beyond traditional brand marketing into performance-focused campaigns. Meta’s data shows that longer-form comedic content, sometimes introducing products after 40 or 50 seconds, maintains engagement while achieving performance goals. This represents a departure from conventional DTC advertising approaches prioritizing immediate product presentation.
Source: Motion
The report indicates that 71% of surveyed DTC advertisers plan to increase their investment in Meta ads in 2025, with 69% planning to increase spend across other platforms including TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, and YouTube.
The research team analyzed performance metrics across multiple platforms, focusing on ads receiving more than $1 million in spend. This analysis reveals that while humorous content represents a minority of total ad creative, it accounts for a disproportionate share of high-spending campaigns.
Preston Rutherford, co-founder of Chubbies, addresses the traditional division between brand and performance marketing: “Brand is the revenue you have left when everything is turned off. I think any brand marketing needs to be direct response performance marketing. It’s not one vs. the other, it’s how do we combine them to win?”
Motion’s report indicates that this integration of humor into performance marketing reflects broader industry trends, with 53% of surveyed DTC advertisers planning to increase investment in lo-fi advertising approaches in 2025.
The research also shows a correlation between ad performance and platform-specific humor adaptation, with successful brands customizing comedic content for different social media environments. This trend appears particularly pronounced in video content, where platform-native formatting shows higher engagement rates.
Motion’s analysis includes spending data from multiple DTC categories, including fashion, beauty, home goods, and consumer electronics, providing a cross-sectional view of humor’s impact across different market segments.
Dragomir is a Serbian freelance blog writer and translator. He is passionate about covering insightful stories and exploring topics such as influencer marketing, the creator economy, technology, business, and cyber fraud.
A Motion research analyzing $100 million in advertising spend reveals that humorous content accounts for 25% of direct-to-consumer ads receiving more than $1 million in spend, despite representing only 14% of total social media advertising content.
In addition, Motion’s survey of 500 DTC advertisers indicates that traditional assumptions about performance marketing requiring a serious tone may be misaligned with current data. The research cites marketing firm Kantar’s findings that while only 33% of studied ads incorporate humor, half of their highest-performing ads utilize comedic elements.
“Social advertising used to be the Wild West,” says Joanna Wallace, Director of Paid Media Creative at HexClad. “Now we have a million brands on the internet, including legacy brands… how are you supposed to show that you’re not a flash in the pan?”
The report indicates that brands are responding to this challenge by incorporating more humorous content into their advertising strategies.
Source: Motion
Performance Data and Industry Response
According to Meta Creative Strategist Gil Chaimovski, high-performing DTC brands are producing between 50-70 new ads weekly on Meta platforms alone.
Growth Consultant Barry Hott reports success with AI-assisted ad production for supplements and other products, noting significant cost reductions in production while maintaining performance metrics.
The research documents that humor’s effectiveness extends beyond traditional brand marketing into performance-focused campaigns. Meta’s data shows that longer-form comedic content, sometimes introducing products after 40 or 50 seconds, maintains engagement while achieving performance goals. This represents a departure from conventional DTC advertising approaches prioritizing immediate product presentation.
Source: Motion
The report indicates that 71% of surveyed DTC advertisers plan to increase their investment in Meta ads in 2025, with 69% planning to increase spend across other platforms including TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, and YouTube.
The research team analyzed performance metrics across multiple platforms, focusing on ads receiving more than $1 million in spend. This analysis reveals that while humorous content represents a minority of total ad creative, it accounts for a disproportionate share of high-spending campaigns.
Preston Rutherford, co-founder of Chubbies, addresses the traditional division between brand and performance marketing: “Brand is the revenue you have left when everything is turned off. I think any brand marketing needs to be direct response performance marketing. It’s not one vs. the other, it’s how do we combine them to win?”
Motion’s report indicates that this integration of humor into performance marketing reflects broader industry trends, with 53% of surveyed DTC advertisers planning to increase investment in lo-fi advertising approaches in 2025.
The research also shows a correlation between ad performance and platform-specific humor adaptation, with successful brands customizing comedic content for different social media environments. This trend appears particularly pronounced in video content, where platform-native formatting shows higher engagement rates.
Motion’s analysis includes spending data from multiple DTC categories, including fashion, beauty, home goods, and consumer electronics, providing a cross-sectional view of humor’s impact across different market segments.
The full report is available here.