Advertising, Effectiveness of Humor in

Over the years, humor has been used as a popular strategy in advertising. Humor is generally assumed to be effective, but much research in the advertising field has come to the conclusion that humor effects in advertising may not be universal and that a wide variety of factors need to be considered. This entry first describes the three most common processes in which humor is created. It then discusses possible humor effects in advertising and the factors tied to execution, audience, and product categories that would likely have an impact on the advertising effectiveness. Humor is a powerful tool that can be employed to enhance ad effectiveness, but effective advertising strategy requires careful consideration of the target and the relevant aspects of implementation.