Preview: Laughs or Liability with Fumi Abe

A three minute version of S1 E5 of where Opinion Party, where hosts Laura Jones and Jason Gaikowski explore the intersection of brand humor and marketing with comedian Fumi Abe . They discuss the evolving role of humor in advertising, the importance of authenticity, and the creative processes behind comedy. The conversation delves into the effectiveness of comedic characters in advertising, the challenges of cultural identity in humor, and the implications of AI in the creative industry. The episode wraps up with insights on how brands can effectively use humor to connect with audiences while maintaining their identity.

⭐️ Full episode drops 5/20/2025, wherever you find your podcasts. ⭐️

Learn more a thttps://www.theopinionparty.com 


Opinion Party is the marketing podcast where we interrogate marketing's most deeply held beliefs through the cold cruel lens of data and expert insights.


Find us at https://www.theopinionparty.com 

Opinion Party is brought to you by:
BAV Group, the world’s leading authority on data-driven branding. ™️

Our strategic consulting services transform brand growth into brand = growth. Whether you need to analyze, transform, or grow your brand, our team provide solutions based on 30 years of proven methodology and results.

Learn more at https://www.bavgroup.com.


CREDITS:
Hosts: Laura Jones and Jason Gaikowski
Executive Producer: Mark Richardson
Editor: Gabriel Montoya
Spiritual, Menu, and Technical Advisor: Ketzirah Lesser
Research: Aly Ryan

Creators and Guests

Host

Jason Gaikowski

Atypical Thinker. Agent of Change. Sparking Human Centered Growth across Health, Auto, Tech & Finance. Loves bikes and mountains, even when it hurts.

Host

Laura Jones

CEO on a mission to transform data-driven branding one bit at a time. Enthusiastic yogi, girl mom, Girl Scout Leader and change maker.

Guest

Fumi Abe

Comedian, Comedy Writer, and former BAV Analyst

What is Opinion Party | The Marketing Podcast?

The marketing podcast where we interrogate marketing's most deeply held beliefs through data and expert insights.

Brought to you by BAV Group

Find us at https://www.theopinionparty.com

Opinion Party is brought to you by:
BAV Group, the world’s leading authority on data-driven branding. ™️

Our strategic consulting services transform brand growth into brand = growth. Whether you need to analyze, transform, or grow your brand, our team provide solutions based on 30 years of proven methodology and results.

Learn more at https://www.bavgroup.com.

CREDITS: Season II
Hosts: Laura Jones
Executive Producer: Laura Jones & Ketzirah Lesser
Production: Bronac McNeil Photography & Film

Fumi Abe: 00:00

Yeah. Brands are getting sneaky, man. They're they're paying my they're paying my friends to advertise, I don't know, whatever Logan Paul's stupid drink is. Yeah. I'm sorry.

Fumi Abe: 00:15

What was the question?

Laura Jones: 00:17

Hey, everyone. Welcome back to opinion party. I'm your host, Laura Jones.

Jason Gaikowski: 00:21

I'm Jason Gajkowski.

Laura Jones: 00:23

And this is the podcast that dispels the most pervasive myths in modern marketing through the cold, cruel lens of data.

Jason Gaikowski: 00:32

So I can't wait to get into this with, with our our guest today, an actual comedian with a BAV background. I think this is gonna be a fantastic conversation.

Laura Jones: 00:41

Fumi Abe, welcome to Opinion Party. Great to have you.

Fumi Abe: 00:45

Hello. Thanks for having me. Excited to be here. Hey. When you guys were talking about, like, power goods and stuff, that really brought me back to, like, 2014.

Fumi Abe: 00:51

So thank you for that. That was really nice. Like, if it's not shareable, it cannot go viral. And so, like, relevance is so important, and it doesn't even have to be an original idea. Right?

Fumi Abe: 01:02

Like, what is a trend? You just do somebody else's joke, and then it goes viral because you're wearing a different outfit. Like but that's how people get famous.

Laura Jones: 01:09

You know? What's more painful to watch? A brand trying to be funny or a comedian bombing?

Fumi Abe: 01:16

Everybody bombs. You know? And so to me, when I watch a comedian bomb, like, I know people are uncomfortable, but, a, I think it's kinda funny because I know what that feels like. But, also, there's something very beautiful about it because, you know, there's just something so beautiful and funny about how, like, these people are, like, trying so hard to, like, connect with the audience and, like, chase this thing. So this guy or whatever, like, this this whoever this comedian person is just trying so hard to connect, and it's just it's just not working at all for ten minutes.

Fumi Abe: 01:47

It's just silence. And so to me, there's something so beautiful about this pursuit. So I I like it. I like watching comedians bomb. You know?

Fumi Abe: 01:54

It's, like, nice and refreshing.

Laura Jones: 01:55

But I just went off on that little bit of a rant, but I

Fumi Abe: 01:58

do No. AI AI is dark. AI AI AI AI is dark. It might help you write, like, a pawn or, like, if you wanna write, like, a very corporate Instagram caption. It's very good at that.

Fumi Abe: 02:09

Very, like, soulless. You know?

Laura Jones: 02:12

Where can everyone find you out in the world if they wanna know more about Fumi?

Fumi Abe: 02:17

Yes. Please follow me on all the socials. I post a lot of stand up videos on there. You can follow me on Instagram and TikTok at the Fumi Abe. That's spelled t h e f u m I a b e.

Fumi Abe: 02:28

I'm also on tour. So if you live in a city in America, I'll probably be coming to your city. So please go to FumiAbe.com, and you can see my tour dates.

Laura Jones: 02:43

With that, I think we've all sufficiently insulted one another, and, it's time to go.