Using different advertising humor appeals to generate firm-level warmth and competence impressions

Chi Hoang, Klemens Knöferle and Luk Warlop

International Journal of Research in Marketing, 2023, vol. 40, issue 4, 741-759

Abstract: An online experiment and a large-scale correlational study show that the effects of a humor appeal in product advertising go beyond consumers’ general attitudes toward the ad and the advertised product. A humor appeal influences consumers’ perceptions of the advertised firms’ competence and warmth. Importantly, the competence and warmth signaling values of humor in advertising vary with the nature of the humor appeal. We specifically find that an incongruity resolution humor appeal enhances consumers’ impressions of the firms’ competence but only when consumers can resolve the incongruity. A tension relief humor appeal enhances consumers’ impressions of the firms’ warmth. Humorous self-disparagement reduces impressions of the firms’ competence, while other-disparagement reduces both warmth and competence firm impressions. We discuss how firms can use humor appeals in their marketing communication to signal their different qualities.

Keywords: Humor appeals; Advertising; Competence; Warmth; Firm impressions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ijrema:v:40:y:2023:i:4:p:741-759

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijresmar.2023.08.002

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