Is Humor a Countercyclical Advertising Strategy?
Co-authored with Outra E., Zotos Y., Boutsouki C., (2011), 16th International Conference on Corporate and Marketing Communications (CMC), Athens, Greece.
Based on a longitudinal content analysis of commercials appearing in Super Bowl between 1969 and 2009, the present... more Based on a longitudinal content analysis of commercials appearing in Super Bowl between 1969 and 2009, the present paper aims to investigate the use and the impact of humor oriented and information oriented advertisements on advertising effectiveness in recessionary and expansionary periods. The findings challenge the long-standing belief among practitioners that humor is a countercyclical advertising strategy. Indeed, it seems that humor oriented commercials are more pervasive in economic hardship, while information oriented advertisements are more common in times of affluence and wealth. However, humorous commercials tend to be effective at generating positive attitudes toward the ad both in recessions and expansions. On the contrary, information oriented commercials lead to less favorable attitudes toward the ad over the different economic periods. These findings may imply that advertisers have expanded their understanding of advertising effectiveness, encompassing a broader vision to improve the general mood of the times.
Humor and Cultural Values in Print Advertising: A Cross-Cultural Study
Co-authored with Zotos Y. and Boutsouki C. (2011), International Marketing Review, 28(1). Impact Factor (1,164)
Purpose
The present study discusses the role of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, uncertainty avoidance and... more
Purpose
The present study discusses the role of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, uncertainty avoidance and individualism/ collectivism, on the use of the various humor types in print advertising, across culturally diverse countries.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 12.351 ads (3.828 humorous) from the largest circulation UK and Greek magazines was content analyzed in light of Speck’s humorous message taxonomy, emphasizing humor types and intentional relatedness.
Findings
The results indicate that cultural diversity is reflected in the types of humorous devices that tend to be used in the UK and Greece. British advertisements incorporate not only sentimental but also disparaging humor types such as sentimental humor and full comedy, providing a great deal of pure entertainment. On the contrary, Greek print ads emphasize cognitive humorous appeals, in an attempt to provide credible information to the
uncertainty avoiding Greek audience.
Practical implications
The findings of this study highlight some key aspects of UK and Greek print advertising that can be extended in other homogenous cultures. In individualistic countries with low uncertainty avoidance, it seems that consumers prefer humor-dominant messages. On the contrary, in collectivistic countries with high uncertainty aversion attitudes, humor can be used as a Trojan horse to convey the required information to the target group.
Originality/value
The present study points out how advertisers’ intentions to entertain or to inform the target audience are expressed in the use of various humor types in advertising, underlining, also, the effect of cultural values on these communication decisions.
Humorous Message Taxonomy: exploring the role of the various humor types on advertising
Co-authored with Boutsouki C. and Zotos Y. (2008), 37th Annual Conference of the European Marketing Academy (EMAC), Brighton, UK.
Humorous advertising is the most popular way to communicate with prospective buyers. However, there is a lack of... more Humorous advertising is the most popular way to communicate with prospective buyers. However, there is a lack of consensus among scholars regarding the contribution of humor on advertising effectiveness. Based on Speck?s Humorous Message Taxonomy, the present study explores the role of the various humor types on the memory of TV commercials, the attitude towards the ads and the associated advertised brand. Emotional reactions to the advertising stimuli are also examined. The findings indicate that comic wit is the most effective humor type as it can meet the communication goals (ad and brand recall and positive attitude towards the ad), while minimizing negative emotions.
The effects of culture and product type on the use of humor in Greek TV advertising: An application of Speck’s Humorous Message Taxonomy
Co-authored with Boutsouki C. and Zotos Y. (2009), Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising, 31(1): 43-61. (Journal Quality List, Dr. Anne-Wil Harzing, 2007)
The present study attempts to add to the growing literature regarding humorous advertising in high context... more The present study attempts to add to the growing literature regarding humorous advertising in high context environments such as Greece and the other Mediterranean countries. It content analyzes 447 Greek TV commercials in order to identify the relationship between humor and the nature of products. In this attempt, Speck's humorous message taxonomy (1991) and Rossiter & Percy's brand attitude grid provide the theoretical framework for the analysis. The various humor types and processes described by Speck's taxonomy are linked to consumer involvement and motivation. The study analyzes the use of humor and examines the applicability of the humorous message taxonomy in Greek TV advertising based on cross-cultural analysis between Greece and the USA as recorded in Speck's original study in 1991 (the only study that employs the same theoretical framework for the analysis of humorous TV advertising).