Should I use humor in advertising?

Humor can undoubtedly be used very effectively in advertising. Funny ads are more likely to be enjoyable and involving, and therefore memorable, than others.

Should I use humor in advertising?

DO FUNNY ADS WORK BETTER?

Broadly speaking, funny ads are more likely to be memorable than others. Almost half of the world's most impactful ads are humorous; whereas just 1 percent of the least impactful ads are humorous. Furthermore, humor is an emotional response, and much has been written on the importance of emotional responses to advertising.

But the effect of humor on communication is not so straightforward.

Certainly, humor can aid effective communication. For example, one ad we tested was criticized for being boring and irritating, with a joke that was just not...

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