Are humorous ads more efficient in crises times?
(A2021-94619)

AUTHORS

Safaa Adil, ESSCA School of Management; Ahmad Mostafa Abdeltawab, ESSCA School of Management

ABSTRACT

There exist several studies in marketing and psychology demonstrating the role of humour in modulating the receiver’s reactions. This study aims at investigating how humour influences consumer’s responses to advertising within dually inducing media in a real-life passive context. We’ve conducted a between-subject study using a folder test procedure. Confined participants were invited to read an online magazine page on COVID-19 to induce a passive mood. The advertisement humour was manipulated across treatment (neutral or humorous text). Results revealed two key contributions. First, we found that ad memorization and attitude toward ads (Aad) were positively influenced by the humour. Second, compared to neutral ads, humorous ads showed hardly any difference in terms of attitude towards the brand and purchase intentions. Thus, confirming the results of previous researches proved the same, compared to others illustrated else.