Stand-up comedians have long been a brand favourite when it comes to delivering humour and making an emotional connection with audiences. From Raju Srivastav’s comic take on cleanliness for Swachh Bharat Abhiyan to Rohan Joshi’s witty storytelling for The Whole Truth Foods, brands have consistently turned to stand-up comics to add a layer of relatability, even to seemingly humourless products like life insurance or banking services.
However, recent controversies have reignited the conversation about whether brands should continue associating with comedians. The backlash against the YouTube show India’s Got Latent, particularly due to an inappropriate question posed by guest judge Ranveer Allahbadia, led to legal trouble, social media outrage, and brands reevaluating their partnerships with the comedians involved.
Industry folks are already witnessing some impact of this controversy. Uddhav Parab, Senior Creative Director at Interactive Avenues and a comedian himself, says, “The scrutiny will be intense for the next quarter. Most traditional brands that like to play it safe might shy away from brand collabs.”
This isn’t the first time comedians have found themselves in hot water, raising questions about the future of brand-comedian collaborations.
Why stand-up comedians work
Humor sells. It humanises brands, making them more relatable and memorable. Over the years, companies have successfully leveraged stand-up comedians to create campaigns that resonate with younger, digitally savvy audiences. For instance, Tata Capital worked with Mallika Dua to simplify financial products with her signature quirky humour. Mid-Day collaborated with Jamie Lever to add a comedic spin to serious issues, making them more digestible for audiences. Even Netflix India has frequently worked with stand-up comics like Kenny Sebastian and Sumukhi Suresh to drive engagement through witty branded content.
Despite these successes, Parab believes that stand-up comedians are still viewed more as content creators rather than brand ambassadors.
“Stand-up comedians are often sought in the same vein as a content creator—stand-up comedy wasn’t and will not be reduced to a vertical 60-second reel,” says Parab.
He believes comedians have the potential to bring more to the table than just one-off collaborations. A strong example of this is American stand-up comedian Bill Burr, who invested in the canned water brand Liquid Death and seamlessly integrated it into his persona. He was frequently seen carrying a can—even on stage—which organically reinforced the brand’s presence.
The impact was so strong that audience members started associating him with the product, with one fan even posting:
What a great night! @billburr is such a fucking legend! Definitely my favorite liquid death advertisement I’ve ever been to 😉 @LiquidDeath @ToyotaCenter #BillBurr #LiquidDeath #SlightReturnTour #OldBillyBoy #MigsMayfeld #ImperialRemnant #Kuby #OldDads pic.twitter.com/qAe8DPAvtw
— Johnny Stitches (@JohnnyStitches) September 10, 2022
Parab says that this level of authentic integration is missing in India, where brands often take a short-term approach to working with comedians. “See, tomorrow, a creator pops up in your feed, and every brand will want to be the first one to collaborate with them. You use the same approach with a stand-up comic, and it won’t move the needle for either. If a brand believes in a comic and its recurring IP and keeps working with it for years, that’s when a brand would really benefit from it. Conversely, no brand has co-created a product/IP with a comic.“
The risks of associating with stand-up comics
The biggest challenge for comedians is that their craft thrives on pushing boundaries, challenging norms, and discussing topics that can offend people. As Parab points out, this makes them inherently ‘not brand-friendly’.
“Content creators pander to algorithms and whatever’s trending. If a stand-up comedian does their job well, they aren’t essentially brand-friendly. Most brands wouldn’t want to back someone that edgy.”
There have been several instances where brands have second-guessed their decision to collab with comedians. Kotak Mahindra Bank, for example, withdrew an advertisement campaign featuring Tanmay Bhat after an old tweet of his about a Hindu God resurfaced, sparking outrage. The bank quickly issued an apology and removed the ad, even though comedian Samay Raina, also featured in the campaign, had no controversial history. This highlights how even a past controversy can snowball into brand risks.
Saurabh Parmar, a Fractional CMO, says that the problem isn’t stand-up comedians themselves but rather how brands evaluate partnerships.
Right after India’s Got Latent initially started gaining attraction, many brands started roping Samay Raina for their campaigns. KFC and BoAt are the most recent brands to do so. Both the ads captured the way Samay Raina is often seen delivering his crass and offbeat jokes and plugging in his show in between the ads without context.
“Imagine if the KFC campaign featuring Samay Raina or the BoAt campaign had been running at the time this controversy erupted—both brands would have faced severe backlash. Fortunately, they didn’t, purely because of timing,” says Parmar. “No matter how popular an individual is, if a brand had signed Samay as its ambassador, imagine the backlash it would have generated.”
How can brands benefit from comedians?
Comedians offer brands a unique opportunity to boost their visibility and connect with audiences in a relatable manner. Industry folks suggest that successful partnerships are built on genuine alignment and long-term investment, rather than quick, one-off collaborations. Brands that genuinely resonate with a comedian’s voice and audience stand to benefit, while those chasing trends face the risk of backlash.
Surbhi Allagh, co-founder at itch, points out that stand-up comedians and brands have evolved together, but fit matters. “A Gaurav Gupta appeals to families, Zakir Khan spans generations, and Samay Raina skews young. Brands, like comedians, have distinct tones and audiences. The right alignment is key.”
The advertising playbook has shifted. Gone are the days when brands dictated content. Allagh adds, “If you’re collaborating with a comedian or any creator, you’re borrowing their world, their voice. Let them do what they do best while seamlessly integrating your brand—otherwise, why even bother?”
Parab has similar opinions. He says that collaborations should be value-driven rather than just reach-focused. “Startups, brands in tech, fashion, or athleisure—anything that’s pro-youth, anti-establishment, or challenges prejudices—would make for a great fit with stand-up comedians. If a brand’s tone aligns with a comedian’s voice and supports a cause embedded in its DNA, only then should it back the comic.”
The risks associated with comedians aren’t unique to them. Brands already conduct rigorous background checks on influencers across categories. Allagh recalls working with a finance brand that scrutinised six months’ worth of content, analysed audience engagement and screened for controversies before finalising an influencer partnership.
While India’s Got Latent controversy may have made brands more cautious about collaborating with stand-up comedians, the underlying truth remains constant: humour, when done right, can be a powerful tool for brands.
