Comedic violence in advertising: cultural third-person effects among U.S., Korean, and Croatian consumers

Hye Jin Yoon, Sukki Yoon, Srdan Zdravkovic, Ivana Kursan Milakovic, Dario Miocevic, Yung Kyun Choi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Humour is a popular appeal used in global advertising and with the growing use of comedic violence ads in the U.S., it is a worthwhile endeavour to see whether comedic violence ads by U.S. brands could travel globally. This research conducted three studies in three countries, chosen for their distinctively different cultural tendencies and market potential: the U.S., Korea, and Croatia. Across the studies it was found that (1) individuals in the U.S. used aggressive humour in daily life more than Koreans or Croatians, (2) U.S. had higher perceived humour and ad attitudes towards the comedic violence ad than in Korea or Croatia, and (3) U.S. individuals found the comedic violence ad funnier for themselves than for others in different cultures while Koreans thought the ad was less funny for themselves than for others in different cultures. Croatians did not have response differences between self vs. others. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1047-1072
Number of pages26
JournalInternational Journal of Advertising
Volume40
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - 2021

Keywords

  • comedic violence
  • cultures
  • Humor advertising
  • third-person effects

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