The influence of humor in advertising: Explaining the effects of humor in two‐sided messsages

Eisend, Martin

doi:10.1002/mar.21634

Cited by 21 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 68 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…We further argue that all content-related factors must be employed concurrently to generate greater virality. Our findings align with the current literature on humor, which reports that humor is effective only when it is properly timed and unanticipated (Attardo & Pickering, 2011;Borah et al, 2020;Eisend, 2022;Wyer & Collins, 1992).…”

Section: Theoretical Implicationssupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Humor has long been an important element of communication, and research has argued that humor‐induced communication is contagious (Eisend, 2022; Weber & Quiring, 2019). Once initiated, humor is likely to trigger social contagion and elicit a response from users (transmission of humorous content), that is, mimicked behavior (Smoski & Bachorowski, 2003; Weber & Quiring, 2019).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Meme marketing: How can marketers drive better engagement using viral memes?

Malodia

Dhir

Bilgihan

et al. 2022

Psychology and Marketing

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Scholars and industry stakeholders have exhibited an interest in identifying the underlying dimensions of viral memes. However, the recipe for creating a viral meme remains obscure. This study makes a phenomenological contribution by examining viral memes, exploring the antecedents (i.e., content‐related factors, customer‐related factors, and media‐related factors), consequences, and moderating factors using a mixed‐method approach. The study presents a holistic framework for creating viral memes based on the perceptions of customers and industry stakeholders. Four quantitative studies (i.e., a lab experiment, an online quasi‐experiment, an event study, and a brand recall study) validate the theoretical model identified in the qualitative study. The research underlines the potential of viral memes in marketing communications as they enhance brand recall and brand engagement. The study found that viral memes are topical and highly relatable and are thus well received by the target groups, which increases customer engagement and brand recall. Marketers can adopt the findings of this study to design content for memes that consumers find relevant, iconic, humorous, and spreadable. Furthermore, marketers can use customer‐related factors suggested in the theoretical framework for enhancing escapism, social gratification, and content gratification for their target customers which in turn shall organically increase their reach within their target segments and enhance brand performance in terms of brand recall and brand engagement.

show abstract

Section: Theoretical Implicationssupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meme marketing: How can marketers drive better engagement using viral memes?

Malodia

Dhir

Bilgihan

et al. 2022

Psychology and Marketing

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Most of the extant research on message sidedness effectiveness has focused on the role of variables related to the message's content, such as the amount of negative versus positive information (Eisend, 2006; Golden & Alpert, 1987), the importance of negatively disclaimed attributes (Anderson & Golden, 1984; Pizzutti et al, 2016), the correlation between positive and negative claims (Bohner et al, 2003; Pechmann, 1992), the presence (or not) of refutation (Cornelis et al, 2015; Cornelis et al, 2020; Kamins & Assael, 1987), type of product (search vs. credence, Pechmann, 1992), or the presence of humour in the message (Becker & Anderson, 2019; Eisend, 2021). Although content‐related variables that render two‐sided messages effective have been relatively well studied, less is known about receiver‐related variables.…”

Section: Theoretical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

When transparency pays off: Enticing sceptical consumers with two‐sided advertising

Hernandez

Filho

Strano

2022

Int J Consumer Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

It has been generally assumed that higher levels of scepticism towards advertising invariably lead to higher resistance to advertising appeals. The main purpose of the present research was to examine whether highly sceptical consumers' resistance can be overcome by appeals associated with higher credibility. We tested our hypotheses using message sidedness as an advertising variable that has been associated with higher (two-sided) versus lower (one-sided) credibility. In three experimental studies, we examined more versus less sceptical consumers' responses to two-versus onesided appeals. We found that two-sided messages are more effective in increasing purchase intentions, through enhanced credibility, but only for consumers who are more sceptical of advertising. Less sceptical consumers trust both messages equally and their purchase intentions are not affected by the type of message. Importantly, we also showed that highly sceptical consumers trust two-sided appeals as much as their less sceptical counterparts. The study contributes to the literature on advertising and persuasion knowledge by showing that advertising scepticism does not elicit a single response tendency, as originally conceptualized. Rather, advertising scepticism is more consistent with the underpinnings of the Persuasion Knowledge Model, in that higher knowledge about persuasion tactics aids consumers to better cope with, and not invariably resist persuasion attempts. We conclude that transparency pays off because it may entice a more sceptical audience and, at the same time, it does not harm less sceptical consumers' trust and purchase intentions.

show abstract

“…For example, in looking at healthcare marketing where embarrassment is somewhat common, humor has been shown to have a positive effect on ad liking (Yoon, 2015) and attention (Dobrenova et al, 2017). Additionally, adding humor in advertising of two‐sided messages which contain some negative information was shown to positive impacts on persuasiveness (Eisend, 2022). There are some discrepancies in findings when it comes to the use of humor based on product type (Beard, 2005).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Laughing in the face of embarrassment: Humorous marketing messages, excitement, and embarrassing products in retail

Barney

Jones

2022

Psychology and Marketing

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Humorous messages can influence consumers differently based on the type of product and context; this research seeks to determine how humorous versus informative messages differentially impact consumer's responses to embarrassing products versus nonembarrassing products in retail. This paper proposes that humorous messaging may be used to counteract negative responses to embarrassing products as opposed to much of the research on consumer embarrassment which focuses on coping mechanisms and reducing the noticeability of a product in retail settings. Specifically, marketers may use benign humor to increase excitement and ultimately increase purchase likelihood of a product. The researchers examine the process through which consumers view humorous marketing of embarrassing products. Three studies, including a behavioral lab experiment utilizing a 360°video choice experiment as well as a Facebook ads behavioral experiment, are used to assess the proposed relationship. The findings indicate that for embarrassing products, humorous messaging is more effective than informative messaging at increasing purchase likelihood due to an increase in excitement. These results hold across a variety of marketing mediums. This research suggests that practitioners should use humorous marketing communications rather than informative marketing communications for embarrassing products in retail. K E Y W O R D S embarrassment, excitement, humor, marketing messages, retail "You may not be able to change a situation, but with humor, you can change your attitude about it." -Allen Klein 1 | INTRODUCTION While humor has been studied extensively in marketing (Warren et al., 2018), its effectiveness may vary based on the situation (Warren et al., 2019;Weinberger & Gulas, 1992). One important purchasing situation which lacks research in regard to humor is the influence of humorous marketing communications on consumer's perceptions of embarrassing products. Consumers will go to extreme lengths to avoid embarrassment in purchase situations, from avoiding other people (Dahl et al., 2001) to purchasing additional items, to attempting to disguise an embarrassing product (Blair & Roese, 2013;Nichols et al., 2015), to even stealing embarrassing products (Toth, 2007). While most research on embarrassment in marketing focuses on shoppers' reactions to embarrassing products in store, marketing communications external to the retail environment may also influence the way a consumer perceives a stereotypically "embarrassing" product.Marketing communications may help normalize embarrassing purchases (Dahl et al., 2001). Through marketing campaigns and

show abstract

The influence of humor in advertising: Explaining the effects of humor in two‐sided messsages

Cited by 21 publications

References 68 publications

Meme marketing: How can marketers drive better engagement using viral memes?

Meme marketing: How can marketers drive better engagement using viral memes?

When transparency pays off: Enticing sceptical consumers with two‐sided advertising

Laughing in the face of embarrassment: Humorous marketing messages, excitement, and embarrassing products in retail

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About