Humor in Persuasion

Most people enjoy humor.  It makes you smile and may even laugh.  So it isn’t surprising that using humor in persuasion can be more effective than persuasion alone; although, the audience, their mood and the product are all variables that need to be considered when deciding whether or not to use humor.

            According to the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion, audiences receive messages differently; if the message is relevant to them, they will use central route to persuasion, if it is not relevant they will rely on situational elements and source qualities (Lyttle, 2001, p.207).  Mr. Lyttle references Chaiken (1980) and Petty & Cacioppo (1981) when he explains that the second type of processing is also known as heuristic or peripheral route processing (Lyttle, 2001, p.207).  This means that a message that is familiar to an audience will have an almost automatic response, there is not a lot of conscious thought about the subject.  If a subject is not familiar, the audience will consider the subject with more thought. 

            The audience you are trying to persuade must be considered as humor can make the audience like the persuader more, but not if the audience considers the message offensive.  What is funny to

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one gender, age or ethnicity, may not be considered humorous to another and many times it depends on the context and who is being made fun of (Weinberger, 1992).  One example that Weinberger (1992) mentions is the fact that researchers found that men enjoy sexual humor, where most women do not, it is believed that this could be reversed when men are the ones being made fun of in sexual humor.  When selling a product, humor should be relative to the product, and not poke fun at any one group of people, in order to avoid a negative response by the audience.

Weinberger also (1992) referenced a study by Brooker (1981), in which humor was found to be more persuasive than fear appeal.  This leads me to believe it is because humor affects an audience’s mood in a positive manner, where fear can lead to a negative mood.  Mood affects the audience receptiveness to a persuasive message.  Cline & Kellaris (1999) referred to Freedman, Sears & Carlsmith (1978) stating that “According to persuasion theory, people who are in a good mood are less likely to disagree with a persuasive message…” they also referenced Moran (1996) when he stated that humor is shown to produce a good mood and positive effects.  Humor that is positively received by the audience puts them in a good mood and could make the audience more receptive to the persuader’s message. 

All of this being said, it is not always appropriate to use humor.  Weinberger (1992) states that even though related humor is more persuasive than no humor on products with low involvement-feeling, humor is less persuasive on products with high involvement-thinking. Lyttle (2001) similarly found that using humor to advertise for low-risk, fun products, such as gum, are appropriate; yet using humor for advertising of life insurance, which is higher risk and more serious, is not effective because is it not appropriate.  Cline & Kellaris (1999) also stated similarly that strong persuasive ads may be better received without humor; however, low-risk convenience advertisements are better received with humor, but without strong arguments.  Lyttle (2001) also found that ironic and self-effacing humor are most effective, but may not be enough to compensate for weak persuasive messages.

What does this all mean?  When considering a serious buying decision, such as purchasing a home, humor in the advertisement may make the audience feel that the advertiser may not take the process seriously; therefore creating a negative feeling and being less persuaded to buy through that company.  In this case, a straight-forward approach, using facts without humor, may be more effective.  When considering a less serious buying decision, such as what kind of body spray or deodorant to purchase, the use of humor may leave the audience with a more positive feeling.  This will make the purchaser more likely to remember the commercial and may even lead to them trying the product.

            In summary, to use humor effectively in persuasion, one must be aware of the product and whether it is a high-involvement or low-involvement item.  If humor is used, it must be relative to the product, and should not make any social group the source of humor in order to be effective.  Overall, humor will put the audience in the right mood, if the previous variables have been properly considered, and may make the persuasive message more effective.

References

Cline, T. W., & Kellaris, J. J. (1999). The joint impact of humor and argument strength in a print advertising context: A case for weaker arguments. Psychology & Marketing, 16(1), 69. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/227758276?accountid=32521

Lyttle, J. (2001). The effectiveness of humor in persuasion: The case of business ethics training. The Journal of General Psychology, 128(2), 206-16. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/213644389?accountid=32521

Weinberger, M. G., & Gulas, C. S. (1992). The impact of humor in advertising: A review. Journal of Advertising, 21(4), 35. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/236623765?accountid=32521