Persuasion Mockery - Consumer Recall of Self-Aware Advertisements
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Date
2017
Authors
Ableidinger, Chris Evan
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
Advertisements increasingly make fun of themselves. Whether it be through ridiculous exaggeration or breaking the fourth wall, advertisers and marketers are standing out by making a mockery of the very concept of an advertisement. This thesis explores the strategy of Persuasion Mockery: using the elements within an advertisement to make light of traditional advertising and its tactics in order to develop ironic humor. This phenomenon is well documented in advertising trade media - described as 'meta advertising' or 'self-referencing' - but rarely explored experimentally. This thesis tests the hypothesis that persuasion mockery within advertisements increases the ability of consumers to successfully recall the brand advertised. A study comparing persuasion mockery and traditional humor across three product categories found brand recall to be higher among ads containing persuasion mockery (p value <.001) when attitudes toward humor were controlled. This evidence is used as basis to accept the hypothesis, though its application is limited by the small sample size of the main test and potential confounding factors. Further results regarding correlations between persuasion mockery, daily television consumption, persuasion knowledge, and recall ability are also discussed. Directions for future research are outlined including the repetition of this experiment across more product categories in order to replicate results.
Description
85 pages. A thesis presented to the School of Journalism and Communication and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Science, Spring 2017
Keywords
Advertising, Persuasion, Mockery, Irony, Humor, Television