An Examination of Cognitive Factors Related to Humorousness in Television Advertising

Abstract

Humor is a commonly used communication tool in American advertising, but little is known about what makes an ad more or less humorous. This study examines a sample of television ads to determine whether recent psycholinguistic theories of humor can help explain why certain ads that intend to be humorous are perceived as such while others are less successful. For example, ads which employed a contrast between everyday life and the unexpected were generally perceived as more humorous than those employing a contrast between everyday life and the impossible. The theoretical and applied implications of such findings are discussed.