Marketing Communications

EMOTIONAL APPEALS 221

Diff erent types of humour exist, e.g. cognitive humour. In this case, there is an incongruity,

an unexpected element as a result of which the consumer has to follow diff erent lines of

reasoning to solve the incongruity;^65 for example, an advert for Amstel Light beer showed

products that normally belong in the refrigerator in an unexpected spot because Amstel Light

has taken their place in the refrigerator. One example features a woman who is sleeping in bed.

When she wakes up and turns on the light, she screams when she fi nds a plate of meatloaf

next to her in bed. Th e next scene shows the refrigerator where a 12-pack of Amstel Light is

jammed into the meatloaf ’s position.^66 Th ere is also sentimental humour: for example, a little

kitten that tries to catch the ball in a football game on TV; a satire, meant to be funny and

insulting at the same time; sexual humour, making fun of the other sex, etc. Th e diff erent

types of humour are appreciated by the target consumers to a diff erent extent leading to

diff erent communications eff ects. While sentimental humour is quite innocent, satire or

sexual humour is more aggressive and, not surprisingly, not everyone fi nds the latter types of

humour funny.

Th e eff ectiveness of humour also depends on the product type. Th e prevailing opinion

seems to be that humour is more appropriate for low- than for high-involvement products,

and for transformational rather than for informational products, and that humour, in any

case, should be avoided for high-involvement/informational products, such as banking and

insurance.^67

In general, humour seems to be more eff ective for existing and familiar brands than for

new and unfamiliar brands.^68 In other words, building brand awareness using humour is

more diffi cult, since the humour might gain too much attention, leading to inferior brand

attention. Humour that is in one way or another related to the product is more eff ective than

unrelated humour.^69 Finally, humour may have a detrimental eff ect when prior brand evaluations

are negative.^70 In other words, if you are convinced that a Lion bar tastes awful and sticks to

your teeth, you are more likely to think that the company wants to be funny, but is not funny

at all, while a positive brand attitude leads to more tolerance and acceptance.

Eroticism

Defi ned very broadly, an ad can be classifi ed as erotic if one or more of the following elements

are present: partial or complete nudity, physical contact between two adults, sexy or pro-

vocatively dressed person(s), provocative or seductive facial expression, and suggestive words

or sexually laden music, etc. ( Photo 7.4 ). Although some people seem convinced that eroticism

is being used more and more in European advertising, content analyses show that this is only

in the eyes of the beholder.^71

How eff ective is an ad showing a seductive Claudia Schiff er in front of the Citroën Xsara,

the erotic style of the Martini campaigns, the nude Sophie Dahl for Opium or the full-frontal

nude model for Yves Saint Laurent’s scent H7? As was the case with humour, no clear guide-

lines can be provided for the use of eroticism. However, an indisputable conclusion is that

erotic advertising attracts attention, even to the extent that more car accidents occur near

erotic billboards.^72 One may wonder, though, whether any attention is directed at the brand

or the brand message. Indeed, most researchers agree that eroticism reduces brand and

message recall.^73 Another negative aspect on which most researchers agree is that eroticism

has a negative impact on the image of the advertiser.^74 For other communications objectives

such as the attitude towards the ad or the brand, and purchase intention, mixed research

results have been reported.^75

An explanation can be found in a number of moderating factors. For instance, the more

intense the eroticism or, in other words, the more overt the sex appeal in the form of nudity or

suggestion of sexual intercourse, the more negative the responses to the ad become.^76 However,

a study for suntan lotion found exactly the opposite, suggesting that advertisers would do

better opting for ‘the full monty’ rather than for partial nudity.^77 Perhaps this result can be

explained by the product promoted, namely suntan lotion. Previous research results reveal

that the more the erotic appeal is related to the product, the more positive the responses to

M07_PELS3221_05_SE_C07.indd 221M07_PELS3221_05_SE_C07.indd 221 6/5/13 3:01 PM6/5/13 3:01 PM