Humor has long been one of the most common approaches used in advertising. Whether in a big televised event like the Super Bowl or in new forms of digital advertising, everyone is exposed to funny ads, some of which both entertain the audience and help sell a product. Yet, the use of humor in advertising is complex; clearly not all humorous ads are successful. This comprehensive volume both summarizes the cumulative state of knowledge on humor in advertising and provides new cutting-edge research on key topics such as humor’s use in conjunction with emotional and sexual appeals, its use in digital advertising, and issues related to gender and cross-cultural applicability. Special emphasis is placed on defining humorous advertising and types of humor used, as well as outlining what conditions work for advertisers. The chapters examine humor in advertising and add insights on several cutting-edge issues in this stream of research. An overview article summarizing the overall body of literature accumulated over 50 years of research on humorous advertising defines types of humorous appeals. The degree to which humor is effective and the boundary conditions associated with when and how it works best in advertising is discussed. New research articles further contribute to cumulative knowledge by exploring the interaction of humor with other issues and techniques such as whether it travels internationally, gender issues, its use in conjunction with emotional and sexual appeals, and its presence in the digital contexts. The book concludes with an in-depth look at the evolution of humorous appeals over the oldest traditional advertising medium—outdoor advertising. The chapters in this book were originally published in International Journal of Advertising.

Working towards a multifaceted debate on humor and related phenomena, this book is a comprehensive reflection of the contributors’ shared interest in various dimensions of humor and its manifold applications. It is composed of a selection of writings that provide important insights into language used for humorous purposes. Theoretical discussions are complemented by an assortment of case studies in linguistics, culture, literature, and translation, as well as in visual and media studies.

In the 1980s our understanding of how advertising affects consumer behavior was undergoing a dramatic transformation. Recent theoretical and methodological advances in cognitive psychology, social cognition, and artificial intelligence were largely responsible for this transformation. These advances provided a better understanding of the information acquisition process and how information is stored in memory. Consequently, we have been able to incorporate memory, the processing of visual information and affect into our models of advertising effects. However, there were still many unanswered questions. Among these are: (1) Exactly what is the relationship between the different mediators of persuasion? (2) How is memory for advertising related to persuasion? (3) What are the theoretical underpinnings of attitude toward the advertisement? (4) What determines the effect of persuasion over time? (5) What factors affect attention to advertising? (6) What psychological processes occur during the watching of a television commercial? and (7) What factors affect individual differences in the processing of advertising messages? Originally published in 1985, the chapters in this volume provide insights into these questions. They are organized in terms of four psychological processes which contribute to our understanding of how advertising works. These are affective reactions to advertisements, persuasion, psychological processes during television viewing, and involvement.

The book presents a wide selection of studies and works in the area of international communication including seven main areas: Advertising and Communication Effects; Advertising and Information Processing; Communication and Branding; Emotional, Social and Individual Aspects of Communication; Communication and New Media; International Advertising and, finally, Perspectives on the Future of International Advertising

Recently nominated one of five finalists selected for the 2005 Berry-AMA Book Prize for best book in marketing! "Tellis has done a remarkable job. He has brought together an amazingly diverse literature. Unlike some other sources that claim to be able to measure the effects of advertising, Tellis′s thoroughness and ability to understand and convey results of various experiments and statistical analyses helps the reader to separate the wheat from the chaff. Any student of advertising, whether new to the field or a seasoned veteran executive or researcher, should read this book." --Alan G. Sawyer, University of Florida Effective Advertising: How, When, and Why Advertising Works reviews and summarizes an extensive body of research on advertising effectiveness. In particular, it summarizes what we know today on when, how, and why advertising works. The primary focus of the book is on the instantaneous and carryover effects of advertising on consumer choice, sales, and market share. In addition, the book reviews research on the rich variety of ad appeals, and suggests which appeals work, and when, how, and why they work. The first comprehensive book on advertising effectiveness, Understanding Effective Advertising reviews over 50 years of research in the fields of advertising, marketing, consumer behavior, and psychology. It covers all aspects of advertising and its effect on sales, including sales elasticity, carryover effects, content effects, and effects of frequency. Author Gerard J. Tellis distills three decades of academic and professional experience into one volume that successfully dismisses many popular myths about advertising, such as: * Advertising has a powerful influence on consumers and often generates consumer need * The effects of advertising persist for decades * If an ad fails initially, repetition will ensure its ultimate success * Ads need only one to three exposures to succeed * Advertising by argument is the most effective method * The best ads are unique and original * Advertising is very profitable Tellis then provides alternatives and establishes the following truths about advertising: * Advertising is vitally important for free markets, but its action is subtle and its discovery is fragile * The effects of advertising are short-lived * If ads are not initially effective, repetition will not make them more effective * Scientific principles can show which ads work, though firms often ignore advertising research and persist with ineffective ads * Advertising by emotion may have the most effective appeal * Templates can yield very effective ads * Advertising is often unprofitable Effective Advertising will be an important addition to courses at the graduate or undergraduate level in advertising, marketing, communication, and journalism. It will also be an invaluable reference for professionals and researchers working in these fields.

Practitioner's and academicians' views are integrated in this overview of current thought regarding consumers' cognitive and affective responses to advertising.