Humour in Advertising: Is the Laugh Worth the Risk?
In 2023, I completed a dissertation on the impact of humour advertising for high-risk products, examining whether serious content is really worth laughing about.
In this article, we’ll discuss the humour appeal in advertising in a little more detail. Let’s jump right in!
What are high-risk products, and how do they impact the effect of humour in advertising?
High-risk products are expensive and require a lot of thought in the purchasing decision. Some critics argue that humour is not suitable because many high-risk products and services aren’t a laughing matter—they require a clear head and straight face with a heck of a lot of informational processing.
What the critics think about using humour in advertising
Believe it or not, advertising managers didn’t always accept humour as a useful advertising approach. Despite the rise of digital advertising, only 1/3 of adverts utilise humour, with TV being the most likely medium to include it. The possible reason for the decline in humour in advertising interestingly correlates with crucial historical crises, such as the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
Furthermore, the fear of offence is another significant reason why managers often shy away from this risky creative device. The overall argument remains that customers risk perceiving humour as disconnected from serious topics, in which they must make a purchasing decision that is no laughing matter.
The advantages of using humour in advertising
Way back in the 18th century, the industry seemed eager to prove that humour could assist businesses in standing out in a crowded market, especially as the era was described to have an attention economy.
Since this point, many campaigns have disproved the critics’ arguments. The first example that comes to my mind is Metro Trains promoting railway safety in the Dumb Ways to Die campaign. This advertising campaign witnessed a 20% reduction in train-related accidents in the following year of its release, demonstrating that funny content can be used if there is a strategic reason for doing so. So, whilst it sometimes does take time and money to make people laugh, there are advantages to using humour in advertising.
In my research, I actually found some scholars in favour of the use of humour in advertising despite the vast majority giving it a whole lot of backlash. Indeed, trusty Jovanovic et al. acknowledge that creative appeals such as humour can actually increase attention, interest and motivation and, therefore, stimulate the all-important purchasing intent. With this in mind, I’ll talk a little bit more about the opportunity of humour in advertising below.
The opportunity: the effectiveness of humour in advertising
Whilst humour in advertising has reduced over the years, the increased use of user-generated content has actually made this creative device incredibly accessible to a huge audience base. From this, we have seen an emergent of new types of humour, including memes, which have the power to appeal to varied and niche audiences, according to Kanter.
Also, we must take the continued evolution of digital platforms into account. These platforms have seen different uses for humour. On TikTok, you’ll see a lot of satirical humour; on Facebook, you can resonate with more personal humour, encouraging users to hit share. So, just from this little analysis of two different platforms, you may see that humour can be more or less appropriate depending on what it is and when it is used.
As the levels of appropriateness fall on an ever-changing scale, I think advertisers need to be wary about what type of humour to use and when to use it.
The effect of humour in advertising for high-risk products
My research showed hope for humour in high-risk product advertising (yes!), suggesting that younger generations appreciated the humour more than older generations, particularly when the humour was highly understandable.
The results also showed that this humour was highly relevant in enhancing brand awareness, recall, and personality.
After all, over half of my participants claimed that humour increased their purchasing intention, going against previous critical findings. With this being said, age did have a dramatic effect on the findings, aligning with previous research, and the younger age groups were more receptive to humour than all the participants.
So, is the impact of humour in advertising good enough to keep using it?
My research shows that advertisers should continue using this creative device cautiously. Whilst humour can be highly effective in some areas, there is still a time and a place for a good laugh. High-risk product brands targeting younger generations, such as those selling student laptops or cars, may consider humour, as well as those launching new products that need to be remembered in a crowded market.
By considering the impact of audience, awareness, recall, and personality modifications, advertisers have the power to use humour to their advantage.
A marketer’s insights into humour in advertising
Putting my dissertation research results aside, I will always be humour’s biggest fan – even when it comes to more expensive products. A brand needs a personality, and humour creates the warmth and comfort that many consumers are seeking these days – so why not apply it?
If you need help with advertising services or implementing a good pun in your next poster design, don’t hesitate to contact me. I’m always happy to spread a few smiles with humour in advertising!
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