029: What Can Canned Laughter Teach Us About Copy?

<p>We know social proof works and can be a powerful tool when used in marketing, but did you know that it’s not always enough? Today’s episode dives into an article that focuses on the self-categorization theory, how we as individuals categorize ourselves, and what groups we identify with.</p> <p> </p> <p>To understand whether laughter was a response to social proof or the self-categorization theory, the researchers recruited university students to conduct experiments. The experiments found that participants laughed three times more when they believed laughter was coming from their in-group (other students from their university). These findings revealed that the response to laughter was not necessarily a thoughtless response. Instead, who was laughing was more important than the laughter itself.</p> <p> </p> <p>What does laughing and self-categorization have to do with copywriting? Listen in to hear my top three takeaways for you as a copywriter or marketer: 1. Research is important, so be thorough and know your audience well. 2. Social proof is not always enough. 3. Niche down as much as possible.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>What To Look For In This Episode:</strong></p> <ul> <li>[00:01:02] "I Love Lucy" reference.</li> <li>[00:18:00] The importance of thorough research.</li> <li>[00:21:00] Is social proof enough?</li> <li>[00:23:20] Niche down and build your tribe.</li> </ul> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Journal Article:</strong></p> <p>It’s not funny if they’re laughing”: Self-categorization, social influence, and responses to canned laughter.</p> <p><a href= "http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.615.7853&rep=rep1&type=pdf"> http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.615.7853&rep=rep1&type=pdf</a></p> <p> </p> <p>Platow, M., Haslam, A., Both, A., Chew, I., Cuddon, M., Goharpey, N., Maurer, J., Rosini, S., Tsekouras, A., & Grace, D. (2005). It’s not funny if they’re laughing”: Self-categorization, social influence, and responses to canned laughter. <em>Journal of Experiment