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Not a Problem: A Downside of Humorous Appeals

Author

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  • McGraw, A. Peter
  • Schiro, Julie L.
  • Fernbach, Philip M.

Abstract

Public service announcements (PSAs) are traditionally designed to elicit negative emotions that spur problem-solving behavior. However, in order to improve their reach, some social marketers are forgoing traditional strategy by creating PSAs that are humorous. Because of humor’s positivity and association with non-serious situations, we hypothesized that humorous appeals can decrease problem perception and problemsolving behavior. Study 1 examined problem perceptions using matched pairs of humorous and non-humorous PSAs. Respondents judged a social issue as less important to solve after viewing the humorous version of the pair. Study 2 examined problem-solving behavior through a partnership with a non-profit organization seeking to improve young adults’ sexual health knowledge. Humorous PSAs were less effective than a non-humorous version at spurring people to search for health information. The inquiry revealed a previously unaddressed tradeoff: using humor to benefit a message’s reach creates a potential cost to solving a personal or societal problem.

Suggested Citation

  • McGraw, A. Peter & Schiro, Julie L. & Fernbach, Philip M., 2015. "Not a Problem: A Downside of Humorous Appeals," Journal of Marketing Behavior, now publishers, vol. 1(2), pages 187-208, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:now:jnljmb:107.00000012
    DOI: 10.1561/107.00000012
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    Cited by:

    1. Bitterly, T. Bradford & Schweitzer, Maurice E., 2019. "The impression management benefits of humorous self-disclosures: How humor influences perceptions of veracity," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 73-89.

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    Keywords

    Behavioral Decision Making;

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