When Laughter Takes Flight: Analyzing Ryanair's Humorous Strategy on Instagram

This thesis delves into the strategic deployment of humor by Ryanair in its Instagram memes to cultivate and solidify its brand identity. To understand this phenomenon, the research explores the question: How does Ryanair use humor through memes on its Instagram account to shape its brand identity? Through a multimodal critical discourse analysis of 100 Instagram posts from the airline's official account, the research identifies prevalent humor styles and types employed within these memes. Kapferer's Brand Identity Prism serves as the theoretical framework to assess how these humorous elements contribute to the construction of Ryanair's brand identity. The analysis reveals a diverse range of humor themes utilized by Ryanair. The airline predominantly leverages affiliative and self-enhancing humor styles, fostering a sense of community and positivity among viewers. Affiliative humor engenders a spirit of camaraderie amongst travelers, cultivating a welcoming and inclusive brand identity. Self-enhancing humor aids customers in maintaining a positive outlook on travel, even amidst challenging circumstances, by prompting them to find humor in common travel frustrations. Additionally, humor types such as comparison, exaggeration, and sarcasm are strategically deployed to engage the audience and highlight relatable travel experiences. The findings underscore that Ryanair’s humor-driven content helps in establishing a relatable and down-to-earth brand persona. The visual and textual components of the memes, incorporating recognizable travel settings and playful language, enhance brand distinctiveness and strengthen its association with these positive attributes. The use of travel-related imagery and themes, alongside Ryanair's logo, colors, and typography, reinforces the brand's identity as a fun and approachable low-cost company. This visual consistency serves to keep these elements at the forefront of the audience's mind, bolstering brand recall and recognition. Furthermore, the study highlights how Ryanair's humorous approach aligns with contemporary digital marketing trends, capitalizing on the potential of memes to foster consumer engagement and brand loyalty. By offering insights into the effective use of humor within digital brand communication, this thesis contributes to the scholarly discourse on social media marketing and presents practical implications for marketing professionals. The findings suggest that integrating humor into social media strategies can significantly enhance brand identity, offering valuable lessons for brands navigating the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing.