Using Humor in Conjunction with Negative Consequences in Advertising

Abstract

Some advertisements use a humor appeal in conjunction with a negative consequence appeal. An experiment examined the effects of a humor appeal and negative consequence appeal manipulations on support arguments, counter arguments, and attitude toward the ad (A_ad). For those who accurately comprehended the ad, there were no differences in A_ad. For the remaining participants the negative consequences ad was significantly lower in A_ad. The humor appeal led to more support arguments and fewer counterarguments, while the negative consequences appeal led to fewer support arguments. The results suggest that presenting negative consequences in a humorous way can be effective. Keywords: advertising humor appeal, negative consequences, advertising appeals, cognitions.