The Use and Effect of Humor in Different Advertising Media

It has been said there are few golden rules in life or in advertising. However, to quote a wise executive, 'A blind pig may sometimes find truffles, but it helps if he forages in an oak forest' (Ogilvy and Raphaelson, 1982).

The Use and Effect of Humor in Different Advertising Media

Marc G Weinberger, Harlan E Spotts, Leland Campbell and Amy L Parsons

The use of humor in advertising represents an investment of billions of dollars each year in campaigns. Historically though, great copywriters such as Claude Hopkins (1923) and Rosser Reeves (1960) suggested that advertising should never seek to amuse. After all, they reasoned no one buys from a clown and humor only draws attention away from the message intent. It was not so long ago that even the fabled David Ogilvy (1963) issued...

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