Effects of ironic advertising on consumers’ attention, involvement and attitude

Abstract

The use of an ironic message in advertising has increased, but little empirical research has been conducted to identify the effects of ironic advertising on consumers. This study demonstrated that ironic advertising can lead to consumers’ higher attention to the ad and greater involvement in the ad message compared to non-ironic advertising, applying schema incongruity theory. This study also examines whether ironic advertising influences consumers’ attitudes toward the ad and the brand. Lastly, this study identified a moderating role of need for cognition on ad attention.

Keywords:

• Advertising
• rhetoric
• irony
• schema

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.