Humor is the most viral content in email. Used well, it can cause your email message to spread beyond your house list, potentially gaining new subscribers and customers. Of course, using humor can backfire too. There’s an interesting case study for using humor in B2C communication in the headlines today.
Dreamhost provides web hosting to over 600,000 domains. In their last newsletter to customers they announced the move to a new headquarters and used some humor in the message.
4. New Office!
Another important thing I’ve been doing instead of writing newsletters is looking out the window of our NEW OFFICE:
http://blog.dreamhost.com/2007/12/21/
If your next web hosting bill from us is mysteriously tripled, now you know why.
Unfortunately for both Dreamhost and their customers, the next bill was high – very high. Due to a glitch in their automated billing system, customers were overcharged to the tune of $7,500,000 USD. Ouch.
Dreamhost immediately advised customers via a humorous blog post (although some customers reported hearing about it first from Digg.com – an example of why new media isn’t the best solution for personalized communication with your customers) The blog, titled Um, Whoops began with a big picture of Homer Simpson illustrating his ‘fat finger’.
oshua Rudd Says:
January 15th, 2008 at 11:18 am Why is it my job to continually tell my clients who have accounts with you what is going on? Today they all get an email saying their being charged – and they don’t know why. YOU STILL HAVEN’T SENT OUT AN EMAIL TO THOSE SAME PEOPLE TELLING THEM YOU GOOFED – NOR HAVE YOU OFFERED ANY INCENTIVE FOR THEM TO STAY WITH YOU.Not everyone checks your blog to find out if they emails they received were in error.
The post already has over 500 comments from customers, many of them upset by the light-hearted tone of the explanation and apology. A poll put together by one customer and linked in the comments suggests that 30 percent of customers will cancel their accounts with 16 percent undecided.
In business (and in email), the use of humor should be embraced carefully. When things get serious, sometimes it’s better to be serious. Has using humor ever backfired on you?
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Agree, this sort of large scale damage needs to be handle professionally, not something that should joke about. It is going to take them awhile to restore the damage made.