Great ideas can come from anywhere, and as a CRO, your job is to spot, filter and lead quick execution around them for when they do appear.  Join Viket Benzesin, who is experienced in both research and stand-up comedy, as she delves into the unexpected similarities between these seemingly unrelated areas. This entertaining webinar offers a high-energy exploration of how humour and research intersect, providing a unique perspective on the intricacies of Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO). From punchlines to profit, discover how leveraging humour can upgrade your CRO strategies, making the journey from data to conversions an enjoyable and enlightening experience.

1. Converting with Comedy:
Research Parallels for CRO
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VIKET BENZESIN

2. Non-Confidential - Mars, Incorporated
Agenda
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• Intro
• Overlap between research and comedy
• How can you use it in CRO?
• Adding comedic elements to CRO process
• Benefits of comedic thinking & skills in CRO
• How cute my foster dog, Nala, is!!

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Hello, I am Viket!
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Researcher by day
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Comedian? by night

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Stand up terms 101 for researchers
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Set up Punch Line Tag Line
Foundation of a joke that
contains a target assumption
Big reveal, climactic phrase or
statement of a joke
Immediately followed
additional punch that doesn’t
require a new set up

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Most scary but unavoidable
term of them all…
Bombing
Your joke doesn’t land. The awkward
quietness fills the room as you
question all your comedic talent and
life choices in general...
Then you get over it, learn from it and
move on to the next joke.
Stand up terms 101 for researchers
NO SIGNIFICANT
DIFFERENCE!

7. Overlap between
research and comedy
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8. Comedy and customer research are
similar in:
Goal
Process
Biases
People
(soprettymucheverything)
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Ultimately, the goal is
to explain human behaviour
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Customer research ->
Discovering actual facts to explain
human behaviour.
Comedy ->
Making unexpected associations to also
explain people and the world, but in a
comedic way.
(The incongruity theory of humour)
Matt Castellvi,
@lolztellvi on Insta

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The process is feedback loop
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Better understand customer
purchase drivers
Sustainability claims = higher
conversion
Created hypothesis & AB test
Went live
CR dropped, we were wrong!
How about price advantage?
Goal
Assumptions
Planning
Testing
Feedback
Evaluation
CR
+40%

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The process is feedback loop
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Having a funny joke
Find an association that you think is
interested
Write a joke
Open mic (and record it)
Laughs
Think of explanations
Goal
Assumptions
Planning
Testing
Feedback
Evaluation

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Biases exist both in comedy shows and in research
methodologies
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Your sample
can change the outcome
The order matters
People want to be liked
(Social desirability bias)

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Researchers and comedians
are similar
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Highly motivated
Comedians can look at very
serious things in a funny way,
versus researchers, at times,
look at very funny things in a
serious way
Curious
Empathic
Analytical
(and often slightly weird)

15. Using comedy in CRO
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Adding comedy
elements to CRO
Benefits of comedic
thinking & skills in CRO

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Why should you add comedic elements?
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• It captures attention & triggers emotions
• It makes your message memorisable
• Increases the potential of social sharing
• Creates an emotional bond with brand
Can increase engagement, click rate,
conversion, retention, easier stakeholder
management and persuasion
! But be aware: your jokes needs to be non-
offensive & in line with brand identity

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How to be funny 101
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1) There are different ways to be funny
2) Observe & Practise
3) Don’t try too hard, have fun with it!
- No need for LOLs, small giggles go a long way.
- Sometimes cringe jokes also work, test and see
- Write your ideas asap! You can polish them later.
4) When in need, use ChatGPT
1) Wordplay & puns 2) Impersonation &
Stereotypes
4) Cute & silly
images
3) Interactive
elements/games
5) Observations
7) Embrace bad
& dad jokes
6) Trends &
Seasonal topics
8) Rule of 3
10) Call backs
9)Exaggeration

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Comedic elements across customer touchpoints
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Paid ads
Social
media
Interactive
elements
Error
messages
Headlines
with puns
Email
campaigns

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Benefits of comedic thinking & skills in CRO
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Confidence
Outside-the-box
thinking
Empathy & being
observant
Active listening Responding on
your feet
Skills that helps me at every stage of my job
Skills that helps me at especially in cx
interviews & presentations
Stage presence

22. Cool, so what?
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Yes, and ….

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Thank you!
Viket Benzesin, Mars Petcare
Comedy account: viket_doing_comedy