Not a Problem: A Downside of Humorous Appeals

A. Peter McGraw, Julie L. Schiro and Philip M. Fernbach

Journal of Marketing Behavior, 2015, vol. 1, issue 2, 187-208

Abstract: Public service announcements (PSAs) are traditionally designed to elicit negative emotions that spur problem-solving behavior. However, in order to improve their reach, some social marketers are forgoing traditional strategy by creating PSAs that are humorous. Because of humor’s positivity and association with non-serious situations, we hypothesized that humorous appeals can decrease problem perception and problemsolving behavior. Study 1 examined problem perceptions using matched pairs of humorous and non-humorous PSAs. Respondents judged a social issue as less important to solve after viewing the humorous version of the pair. Study 2 examined problem-solving behavior through a partnership with a non-profit organization seeking to improve young adults’ sexual health knowledge. Humorous PSAs were less effective than a non-humorous version at spurring people to search for health information. The inquiry revealed a previously unaddressed tradeoff: using humor to benefit a message’s reach creates a potential cost to solving a personal or societal problem.

Keywords: Behavioral; Decision; Making (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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