Fun Stuff

Unexpected. Engaging. Memorable. 

Just a few of the words that apply to Humor On Hold, the humorous On Hold Marketing content our BusinessVoice team creates. 

The idea: turn the negative of holding into an enjoyable encounter that surprises, delights and humanizes brands. And it works!

Listen to dozens of examples in the sampler video above. And let us know if you're ready to elevate your caller experience with Humor On Hold. 

Want to differentiate your brand? Humorous marketing and advertising contents can attract positive attention, keep your audience engaged longer and make a memorable impression, all while providing details about your products or unique value.

BusinessVoice, our Caller Experience Marketing agency, has been creating award-winning Humor On Hold since the mid-1990s.

In the video above, you'll hear some of our favorite examples of Humor On Hold from 2024. And below, a few recent client comments about the work.

"Awesome! Keep up the GREAT work! I need to send you the recorded phone calls when people ASK to be put on hold to hear it! Phenomenal!"
Chris Hamann / Lakeland Auto and Marine

"These are great! We still have a couple people per month who ask to be put back on hold to hear your creations! We appreciate what you guys do for us."
Tom Stannard / Wellington Implement Co.

"Callers laugh and ask if we can put them back on hold. Or they say that we picked up the phone too quickly and they couldn’t hear the punchline. In some of our meetings, people will say, 'Oh, my gosh! I was on hold the other day and it was so funny.' Our employees love when they’re mentioned as part of the humor. They think that’s hysterical."
Jen Backus / Downey PHCE

"Awesome! This is great. Everyone here loves it! Thank you."
Scott Stampflmeier / Sylvan Studio

"We’ve had a flurry of compliments on the Humor On Hold lately. Very nice to hear!"
Nate Segall / AccuShred

To learn more, call 800/473-9005 or visit BusinessVoice.com.

Can you imagine your callers actually enjoying being on hold?

Or what if you were able to make comments like these about your on hold content?

• "[The customer] was over-the-moon laughing at the On Hold Marketing." - Desiree Grosman / D&F Plumbing
  
  
• "That was hysterical! I've got tears in my eyes I was laughing so much." - MARCE Awards Judge
  
  
• "We get customers who call and ask to be put on hold so they can hear the rest of the production." - Chris Hamann / Lakeland Auto and Marine
  
  

Since 1993, our BusinessVoice team has collected a lot of feedback like that. Our Humor On Hold clients know that we can elevate their caller experience by turning the negative of holding into a fun and memorable encounter.

Play the video above to hear a sampling of the Humor On Hold content we created in 2023.

To learn more, call BusinessVoice at 800/473-9005 or visit BusinessVoice.com.

What is Christmas if you don't make fun of bad TV commercials that feature the staff of a local bank or HVAC contractor speaking in unison? Just another day, that's what!

A few members of our staff piled on in this social media camapaign. 

We asked a few of our staff members to describe their favorite work-related event of 2022. Here are some of their replies.

Van Gogh in America - On October 20th, 21 MadAveGroup team members took a chartered bus to the Detroit Institute of Arts to see this 74-work exhibit.

Daniel DiManna / Creative Consultant: “Standing only inches away from some of the most iconic paintings in history was a powerful experience. There’s a marked difference between looking at art on a postcard or calendar and actually seeing the brushstrokes up close. Seeing so many of Van Gogh’s paintings in person added to my understanding of his work, and changed my perception of my own creative work. I’ll always be thankful to MadAveGroup for giving me the opportunity to be in the presence of that kind of greatness.”

American Advertising Federation Leadership - Along with serving as the Governor of AAF’s Fifth District, our own Michael Seay sits on the organization’s national board.

Michael Seay / Director: “In March, I played host to AAF’s Fifth District National Student Advertising Competition, held right here in Toledo. The event drew about 250 participants from 11 colleges and universities throughout Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. In June, I attended the AAF National Conference in Nashville. And in November, I was in New York City for AAF’s quarterly meeting, where we review initiatives and analyze the state of the advertising industry.”

Headless Tech Rollout - In February, our TouchStone Digital team launched their first headless WordPress website.

Joe Hochgreve / Senior Web Developer: “We created the new website for our SensoryMax agency using Headless WordPress technology. Headless is an exciting advancement that allows us to increase a website’s speed by more than 100%, improve on-page animation features and increase SEO potential. Since that initial launch, we’ve been able to improve on the technology further. Then, we created Headless websites for VacationLand Federal Credit Union, Gordon Lumber and AudioHelp Hearing.”

Headless Tech Presentation - There was a lot of buzz about Headless WordPress around our shop in 2022. Don and Joe were happy to spread the good news to others, too.

Don Miller / Director, TouchStone Digital Marketing: “In June, we presented our Headless talk to members of the local WP community. Then, in July, we shared it at the Nebraska.Code conference in Lincoln, Nebraska. I gave an overview of the importance of Headless WordPress and Joe discussed the technical side and implementation process.” 

Aaron Draplin Visit - AAF Toledo brought this nationally known designer to town to lead an all-day workshop. Later that night, he presented to a full house in the MadAveGroup Social Club.

Scott Greggory / Chief Creative Officer: “I’ve been following Aaron for many years. I identify with his independent spirit. I love that he does work that matters deeply to him and that he honors his influences with every project. Aaron and I share a love of old things, including ephemera - paper items created for a specific purpose, but not intended to have a long life. For instance, like me, he sees the beauty in the promotional memo books that were distributed to farmers in the first half of the 20th century, and he’s preserving his collection in this amazing online gallery.”

We asked a few of our staff members to step outside of their normal skill sets for a while and capture images of our hometown of Toledo, Ohio. 

Check out their photos below.

Want to live in our great city and work at MadAveGroup? Find details here.

Bob Seybold

Lindsay Gebhart

Kara Koepfer

Daniel DiManna

Scott Greggory

We had fun with this three-spot TV campaign for MadAveGroup. 

The goal: drive curious viewers to the humorous HangTheWreath.com website where they could vote for #TeamDoor or #TeamWall, send us comments, download screensavers and meet the cast of the commercials.

At the bottom of the site, we reveal that MadAveGroup is beind the cryptic commercials. If visitors appreciate that we drew them to the site, they might engage our agency to create similarly effective content for their companies. 

Watch all three 15-second spots below and then visit HangTheWreath.com. 

UPDATE: This campaign won a 2022 Telly Award. Read the story. 
 

Have you ever wondered what happens when a videographer goes rogue in the editing suite?

Probably not.

But this video will give you a taste of the level of terror that can ensue. 
 

We're always encouraging our copywriters to "refill their creative tanks" by exploring art, music and nature and by experimenting with different types of creative expression.

On November 10, 2021, they spent some time at the Gathered Glassblowing Studio in our hometown of Toledo, Ohio. Thanks to Mike and his team for the great experience.

On June 12th, 2021, friends of MadAveGroup joined us in our on-site social club for a night of food, drinks and live music. We're hoping to grow the MadAve Music Fest into a larger outdoor event. Until then, enjoy the video below.