When Do Advertising Parodies Hurt? The Power of Humor and Credibility in Viral Spoof Advertisements

How harmful is a parody for the target brand? To address this question, the current study focused on negative advertising parodies created by amateurs and spread through social media.

When Do Advertising Parodies Hurt? The Power of Humor and Credibility in Viral Spoof Advertisements

Ouidade Sabri

Université Paris-Est, UPEC, IRG

Géraldine Michel

Sorbonne Graduate Business School

Management slant

  • The most harmful parodies are those with strong claim credibility and humor. By using humorous and strongly credible parodies, parodists may have more chance of attracting attention from both consumers and the parodied brand and changing behaviors.
  • A credible parody with humor may harm the brand attitudes of both more and less committed consumers. Brand managers and organizations, therefore, must acknowledge the damaging effect of parodies. Marketing managers could use the...

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