Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

How humor in advertising works: A meta-analytic test of alternative models

  • Published:
Marketing Letters Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study tests a cognitive and an affective model based on extant explanations of the effects of humor along with a new affective–cognitive model. Results are derived from meta-analytic data and show how previous explanations may be integrated in order to explain how humor in advertising works. Humor reduces negative cognitions related to the ad because it serves as a distraction from counter-argumentation. In order to maintain positive affect, humor reduces cognitive efforts, in particular those related to brand-related cognitions, thus supporting a vampire effect; that is, humor distracts from processing central benefits of the brand. Humor exerts its strongest impact along affective paths, supporting the dominance of affective mechanisms. Affect and cognition do interplay in line with a congruency effect where the impact of positive affect on attitudes towards the ad is mediated by positive cognitions. The models differ when they are performed based on data from studies using either real or fictitious stimuli. Depending on the type of stimuli, slight changes occur that can be explained by the lack or existence of prior brand experience. Overall, the integration of affect and cognitions into one model provides a better explanation than the previous solely cognitive or solely affective models.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andrade, E. B. (2005). Behavioral consequences of affect: combining evaluative and regulatory mechanisms. Journal of Consumer Research, 32, 355–362.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Batra, R., & Stayman, D. M. (1990). The role of mood in advertising effectiveness. Journal of Consumer Research, 17, 203–214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beard, F. K. (2005). One hundred years of humor in American advertising. Journal of Macromarketing, 25, 54–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becker, B. J., & Schram, C. M. (1994). Examining explanatory models through research synthesis. In H. Cooper & L. V. Hedges (Eds.), The handbook of research synthesis (pp. 357–381). New York: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, S. P., & Stayman, D. M. (1992). Antecedents and consequences of attitude toward the ad: a meta-analysis. Journal of Consumer Research, 19, 34–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, S. P., Homer, P. M., & Inmann, J. J. (1998). A meta-analysis of relationships between ad-evoked feelings and advertising responses. Journal of Marketing Research, 35, 114–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cline, T. W., & Kellaris, J. J. (1999). The joint impact of humor and argument strength in a print advertising context: a case for weaker arguments. Psychology & Marketing, 16, 69–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cline, T. W., & Kellaris, J. J. (2007). The influence of humor strength and humor-message relatedness on ad memorability. Journal of Advertising, 36, 55–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). New York: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dalton, D. R., Daily, C. M., Certo, S. T., & Roengpitya, R. (2003). Meta-analyses of financial performance and equity: fusion or confusion? Academy of Management Journal, 46, 13–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Houwer, J., Thomas, S., & Bayens, F. (2001). Association learning of likes and dislikes: a review of 25 years of research on human affective conditioning. Psychological Bulletin, 127, 853–869.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Smith, H., & Fujita, F. (1995). The personality structure of affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 130–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dröge, C. (1989). Shaping the route to attitude change: central versus peripheral processing through comparative versus noncomparative advertising. Journal of Marketing Research, 26, 192–198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eisend, M. (2009). A meta-analysis of humor in advertising. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 37, 191–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, R. B. (1988). Production and creativity in advertising. London: Pitman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fishbein, M., & Middlestadt, S. (1995). Noncognitive effects on attitude formation and change: fact or artifact? Journal of Consumer Psychology, 4, 181–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frijda, N. H., Kuipers, P., & ter Schure, E. (1989). Relations among emotion, appraisal, and emotional action readiness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 212–228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gelb, B. D., & Pickett, C. M. (1983). Attitude-toward-the-ad: links to humor and to advertising effectiveness. Journal of Advertising, 12, 34–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geuens, M., & De Pelsmacker, P. (2002). The role of humor in the persuasion of individuals varying in need for cognition. In S. M. Broniarczyk & K. Nakamoto (Eds.), Advances in consumer research (pp. 50–56). Valdosta: Association for Consumer Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geyskens, I., Steenkamp, J.-B. E. M., & Kumar, N. (1999). A meta-analysis of satisfaction in marketing channel relationships. Journal of Marketing Research, 36, 223–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gross, J. J. (1998). The emerging field of emotion regulation: an integrative review. Review of General Psychology, 2, 271–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gulas, C. S., & Weinberger, M. G. (2006). Humor in advertising. A comprehensive analysis. Armonk: Sharpe.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hampes, W. P. (2005). Correlations between humor styles and loneliness. Psychological Reports, 96, 747–750.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrison, D. A., Newman, D. A., & Roth, P. L. (2006). How important are job attitudes? Meta-analytic comparisons of integrative behavioral outcomes and time sequences. Academy of Management Journal, 49, 305–325.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Homer, P. M. (1990). The mediating role of attitude toward the ad: some additional evidence. Journal of Marketing Research, 27, 78–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunter, J. E., & Schmidt, F. L. (2004). Methods of meta-analysis. Correcting error and bias in research findings (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Isen, A. M., Shalker, T. E., Clark, M., & Karp, L. (1978). Affect, accessibility of material in memory, and behavior - cognitive loop. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 36, 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krishnan, H. S., & Chakravarti, D. (2003). A process analysis of the effects of humorous advertising executions on brand claims memory. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 13, 230–245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lapierre, L. M., & Hackett, R. D. (2007). Trait conscientiousness, leader-member exchange, job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviour: a test of an integrative model. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 80, 539–554.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacKenzie, S. B., & Lutz, R. J. (1989). An empirical examination of the structural antecedents of attitude toward the ad in an advertising pretesting context. Journal of Marketing, 53, 48–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacKenzie, S. B., Lutz, R. J., & Belch, G. E. (1986). The role of attitude toward the ad as a mediator of advertising effectiveness: a test of competing explanations. Journal of Marketing Research, 23, 130–143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGuire, W. J. (1978). An information processing model of advertising effectiveness. In H. L. Davis & A. J. Silk (Eds.), Behavioral and management science in marketing (pp. 156–180). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, J. E., Duncan, C. P., & Frontczak, N. T. (1985). The distraction hypothesis and radio advertising. Journal of Marketing, 49, 60–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petty, R. E., Schumann, D. W., Richman, S. A., & Stratham, A. J. (1993). Positive mood and persuasion: different roles for affect under high and low elaboration conditions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 5–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pham, M. T., Cohen, J. B., Pracejus, J. W., & Hughes, G. D. (2001). Affect monitoring and the primacy of feelings in judgment. Journal of Consumer Research, 28, 167–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwarz, N., & Clore, G. L. (1983). Mood, misattribution, and judgments of well-being: informative and directive functions of affective states. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 513–523.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shadish, W. R. (1996). Meta-analysis and the exploration of causal mediating processes: a primer of examples, methods, and issues. Psychological Methods, 1, 47–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shrout, P. E., & Bolger, N. (2002). Mediation in experimental and nonexperimental studies: new procedures and recommendations. Psychological Methods, 7, 422–445.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strick, M., van Baaren, R. B., Holland, R. W., & van Knippenberg, A. (2009). Humor in advertisements enhances product liking by mere association. Journal of Experimental Psychology. Applied, 15, 35–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Viswesvaran, C., & Ones, D. S. (1995). Theory testing: combining psychometric meta-analysis and structural equations modeling. Personnel Psychology, 48, 865–885.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Y., & Zinkhan, G. M. (2006). Responses to humorous ads. Does audience involvement matter? Journal of Advertising, 35, 113–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, H., Wayne, S. J., Glibkowski, B. C., & Bravo, J. (2007). The impact of psychological contract breach on work-related outcomes: a meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 60, 647–680.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zillmann, D., Williams, B. R., Bryant, J., Boynton, K. R., & Wolf, M. A. (1980). Acquisition of information from educational television as a function of differently paced humorous inserts. Journal of Education & Psychology, 72, 170–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. European University Viadrina, Große Scharrnstr. 59, 15230, Frankfurt (Oder), Germany

    Martin Eisend

Authors
  1. Martin Eisend
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Martin Eisend.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Eisend, M. How humor in advertising works: A meta-analytic test of alternative models. Mark Lett 22, 115–132 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11002-010-9116-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11002-010-9116-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation