A Typological Examination of Effective Humor for Content Marketing

Abstract

This empirical study explores the effectiveness of humorous TV advertisements recast on YouTube. From a sample of 2135 advertisements screened for humorous content and high performance metrics, a typology of ten humor types was derived and subsequently analyzed for its effectiveness in grabbing audience attention and stimulating engagement. The typology was derived inductively from an examination of the incongruity, mockery and arousal mechanisms used to create humorous content. Overall, the study found that social unruliness, as espoused by the superiority and relief theories, perform the best in attention. The use of absurdity and surprise, as suggested by incongruity theory, performed well in both attention and engagement. The more disparaging humor displayed in putdowns and malicious joy had less impact on both attention and engagement.

Full text

Chapter 3.1
A Typological Examination of Effective Humor for
Content Marketing
1
By James Barry
2
and Sandra Graça
3
Keywords: entertaining content, advertising humor, humor theories, humor typology
Abstract
This empirical study explores the effectiveness of humorous TV advertisements recast on
YouTube. From a sample of 2135 advertisements screened for humorous content and high
performance metrics, a typology of ten humor types was derived and subsequently analyzed
for its effectiveness in grabbing audience attention and stimulating engagement. The typology
was derived inductively from an examination of the incongruity, mockery and arousal
mechanisms used to create humorous content. Overall, the study found that social unruliness,
as espoused by the superiority and relief theories, perform the best in attention. The use of
absurdity and surprise, as suggested by incongruity theory, performed well in both attention
and engagement. The more disparaging humor displayed in putdowns and malicious joy had
less impact on both attention and engagement.
1
Parts of this chapter have appeared in Barry, J., 2015, Social Content Marketing for Entrepreneurs, Business
Expert Press; Barry, J.M. & Graça, S.S., 2013, ‘A Cross-Cultural Typology of Advertising Humor’, paper
presented at the 15th Cross-cultural Research Conference, Antigua, Guatemala, December, 2013.
2
Professor James Barry, Huizenga College of Business, Nova Southeastern University, 3301 College Avenue,
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314, US, E-mail: jmbarry@huizenga.nova.edu, Tel: + 561-215-6367.
3
Professor Sandra S. Graça, Collegium of Comparative Cultures, Eckerd College, 4200 54th Ave. South, St.
Petersburg, FL 33711, US, E-mail: gracass@eckerd.edu, + 727-864-8410.

Introduction
This chapter examines the effectiveness of applying various types of humor to advertising and
social content from a derived typology of ten humor types. Interest in this subject stems from
the fact that marketers are recognizing the power of connecting with their social audiences
through storytelling, heartfelt inspiration, provocation and humor. In particular, humor in
advertising dominates entertainment in spot television advertisements and social videos as
social media metrics attest to its high performance in attention and engagement.
1
Yet despite centuries of studying what makes a narrative funny, the complex nature of humor
leaves questions as to its formula for success. Of the attempts to create useful typologies of
humor for more concentrated research, most studies to date lack a foundation in which to
appropriately categorize humor in line with well accepted theories. Attempts to categorize
humor often result in an unmanageable number of humor techniques suggested for skit
storyline manipulations and character portrayals.
2
Finally, a number of studies suffer from
subjective measurement results and other sampling challenges related to pre-Internet
experiments that depended on unwieldy methods for capturing advertisement content. Today,
however, the statistics compiled on YouTube-posted advertisements provide a mechanism in
which to measure audience engagement more efficiently.
Method
From a search of YouTube recasts of humorous TV advertisements, 2,135 videos were
identified as having content intended to be humorous. Only advertisements featured over the
past decade and with views over 50,000 on YouTube were included in the sample. The
advertisements were then defined and sorted into categories of comic devices that dominated
the advertisement. Up to three comic devices were recorded for each advertisement. These
devices (e.g., exaggerated stories, miscast personality, exaggerated performance, elderly
acting out, etc.) were then consolidated in accordance with the cognitive, emotional and
physiological aspects of humor, culminating in a typology that is aligned with three theories
of advertising humor widely discussed in the literature: incongruity theory, superiority theory
(disparagement) and relief theory (arousal-safety).
3
Grouping Humor Types from Comic Devices and Theory
First level consolidation of the comic devices was based on the face value discovery of in-
group conceptual similarity and distinctiveness across groups. Further refinements to these
humor category assignments were then made to reflect comic device categories discussed in
the literature.
4
Finally, examination of Speck’s
5
humorous taxonomy identified additional
humor categories derived from the combination of theory-derived concepts (e.g., full comedy
comic devices resulting from the combined effects of incongruity, superiority and relief). As
explained further, this led to a final list of ten humor types illustrated in Exhibit I.

Exhibit I: Humor Typology
Theories of humor
1 - Incongruity theory
The theory of incongruity attributes humor to the appearance of something seen as “out of
sorts.” Often referred to as comic wit, this humorous response to a cognitive shift takes on
many forms. Our own examination of high performing humorous advertisements (videos with
views > 50,000 views) shows that comic wit is most often manifested in the way we see or
reflect upon anomalies in our surroundings. In this case, laughter is expressed in the form of
an “Ah-Hah.” Specifically, this research discovered that anomalies trigger comic wit primarily
through audience detection of logical discords, odd behaviors and visual aberrations.
Researchers of comedy and humor have also discovered a number of incongruity mechanisms
that consistently produced these anomalies. In particular, the use of hyperbole, ironic

juxtaposition, puns, surprise and perceptual displacement in arousing laughter has been
deployed for centuries.
6
With the exception of puns, this research validates the popularity of
these incongruity mechanisms for comic wit skit manipulations.
Shown in Exhibit II is a distribution of comic wit videos by popularity (views) when examined
across incongruity mechanisms and anomaly manifestations. These groupings were inductively
derived from 64 comic devices recorded in Table 1 as attributes of humor associated with each
video. Results show an even distribution of anomaly manifestations across visual aberrations,
odd behaviors and logical discords. Among the incongruity mechanisms proposed in the
literature, hyperbole stands out as the most effective, while puns were rarely used in any of the
high performing videos.
Exhibit II: Summary Performance of Comic Wit Usage
Staying consistent with four of the five devices discussed in the literature (i.e., minus puns),
these research findings propose a comic wit typology of the following types:
 Humor Type 1: Perceptual Displacement detected from visual, behavioral and logical
discords
 Humor Type 2: Ironic Juxtaposition detected from visual, behavioral and logical
discords
 Humor Type 3: Hyperbole detected from visual, behavioral and logical discords
 Humor Type 4: Surprise detected from visual, behavioral and logical discords
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Perceptual
Displacement Ironic Juxtaposition Hyperbole Surprise
Views (millions) across total sample
Visual Aberrations
Odd Behaviors
Logical Discord

Table 1: Detailed Performance of Comic Wit across Comic Devices
CDEs1/Views2CDEs1/Views2CDEs1/Views2
1. Misrepresented Context 3. Unusual Personification*, # 4. Bizarre Substitutions
2/1.0M
1a. Misplaced Metaphors
& Idioms
42/89M
3a. Performing/Talking
Babies
38/18M
4a. Object Replacement
38/13M
1b. Humanized Depiction 36/27M
3b. Unlikely Animal
Behavior
22/4.5M
4b. Sound Imitations
81/40M
1c. Unusual Setting 9/13M 3c. Multiple Personalities 20/13M 4c. Animal Substitution
15/11M
1d. Unconventional
Routine
9/14M
3d. Foolishness*, # 184/99M 4d. Anthropomorphism
2. Nonsense*, #
43/42M
2a. Ignorance*, #
53/20M
2b. Baffling Dialog
25/9.2M
2c. Irrelevance
12/18M
2d. Confusing Response
5. Situational Irony*, # 6. Ironic Temperament*, #
22/12M
5a. Anachronisms 2/0.9M 6a. Callous Turned Kind 28/24M
33. Cyborgs Acting as
Humans
46/42M
5b. Unexpected Outcome 49/64M 6b. Miscast Temperament 15/5.6M
34. Humans Acting as
Animals
26/6.6M
5c. Miscommunications 17/8.9M 6c. Soft Tough Guy 5/58M 35. Hypocritical Behaviors
29/17M
5d. Misplaced Routine 21/36M 6d. Unlikely Friendliness 3/0.5M 36. Oxymorons
32/17M
5e. Misunderstood
Intentions*, #
10/17M
6e. Unusually Considerate 65/60M 37. Unusual Pairing
7. Ironic Persona
29/17M
7a. Adult Acting Child
12/16M
7b. Childish Adult
62/39M
7c. Miscast Role
18/3.7M
7d. Mistaken Identity
3/0.3M
7e. Unlikely Hero
72/100M
9a. Exaggerated Results 45/33M 11a. Extreme Measures 56/58M
12a. Exaggerated Body
Reactions
67/24M
9b. Exaggerated
Response
3/1.3M
11b. Awestruck 110/124M
12b. Supernatural
Performance
9/6.1M
9c. Exaggerated
Nightmares
40/29M
11c. Over Intense 20/38M 12c. Incredible Allure
107/83M
9d. Exaggerated Stories 13/17M 11d. Over Heroic 103/48M
12d. Speed & Scale
Distortion*, #
22/13M
10a. Unrattled
28/18M
10b. Exaggerated
Simplicity
17/13M
10c. Exaggerated
Concealment
4/1.1M
10d. Profound Grasp of
Obvious
15. Transformations*, #
2/0.4M
13a. Wrong Answer 7/4.7M 15a. Age Transformation 45/52M 16a. Surprise Revelation
15/7.2M
13b. Uneventful
Conclusion
9/3.4M
15b. Magic 17/11M 16b. Creature Appearance
59/26M
13c. Absurd Chain
Reaction
17/11M
15c. Body Switch 15/3.7M 16c. Wishful Thinking
77/87M
14a. Storyline Twist
33/33M
14b. Fantasy Turned
Reality
11/4.8M
14c. Twist of Fate
Puns
2) The total number of views garnered on YouTube across all videos in the category
* Humor technique adopted from Buijzen and Valkenburg (2004)
# Humor technique adopted from Berger (1993)
Puns*, # (low volume)
1) Comedic Device Episodes (CDEs) refers to the number of times the comedic device (skit manipulation) was identified by 2
authors across the video sample.
Humor Type 4 :
Surprise
13. Conceptual Surprises*
16. Visual Surprise*, #
14. Plot Trickery
LOGICAL
DISCORD
ODD BEHAVIORS
Humor Type 1 :
Perceptual
Displacement
Comit Wit Manifestation
VISUAL
ABERRATIONS
Incongruity
Mechanisms
8. Visual Irony
Humor Type 2 :
Ironic Juxtaposition
Humor Type 3 :
Hyperpole
9. Exaggerated Outcomes*, #
10. Understatements
11. Overreactions
12. Exaggerated Qualities*, #

2 - Superiority theory
The superiority theory suggests that we laugh in response to disparaging others usually after
witnessing a well-deserved putdown; the enjoyment of others’ misfortune; or awkwardness
that relieves us from experiencing the same discomfort. This process starts with a mockery
mechanism like sarcasm, outwitting, parodies and paybacks. When seen as well-deserved or
innocent, the mockery mechanism often results in sensations of sudden glory that make us
laugh. In this case, laughter is expressed in the form of a “Hah-Hah.” Consistent with Speck’s
definition of satire, this sudden glory combines elements of incongruity and mockery. For
example, we may delight in witnessing a celebrity featured in an unusual setting (incongruity)
through a stereotyping parody that humbles the celebrity (mockery).
Although a number of mockery mechanisms have been used as a disparaging or aggressive
form of humor, most can be categorized as putdowns or malicious joy. The latter is often
referred to as schadenfreude or the “a feeling of enjoyment that comes from seeing or hearing
about the troubles of other people.”
7
Malicious joy is normally situationally driven where the
mockery is not necessarily directed at a certain stereotype. Putdowns, on the other hand, are
directed toward certain personalities that audiences love to disparage.
Shown in Exhibit III is a popularity distribution of high performing videos when examined
across incongruity and mockery mechanisms. These groupings were inductively derived from
36 comic devices recorded in Table 2 as attributes of humor associated with each video.
Exhibit III: Summary Performance of Disparagement Usage
Results show that putdowns and malicious joy represent about two-thirds and one-third,
respectively, of the views associated with disparagement. This leads us to the following
additions to our humor typology:
 Humor Type 5: Putdowns exemplified through satires, stereotype mockery and lofty
conquests.
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
Perceptual
Displacement Ironic Juxtaposition Hyperbole Surprise
Views (millions) across total sample
Malicious Joy
Putdowns

 Humor Type 6: Malicious Joy exemplified through deserved repercussions, spoiled
hopes and ineptitude.
Of the supporting incongruity mechanisms, hyperbole, performs the best in accentuating
mockery. Irony especially performs well for malicious joy by setting the stage for the opposite
expected (irony) consequences, but well deserved mishaps suffered by those we loath.
Table 2: Detailed Performance of Disparagement across Comic Devices
3 - Relief theory
Finally, the relief theory attributes humor to the tension released in the form of aggressive
liberation, sexual allusion or fear anxiety relief. According to this theory, humor is used mainly
to overcome sociocultural inhibitions or other suppressed desires often vicariously imagined
through fantasized rule breaking, dream exploits or unruly outbursts. Unlike the cognitive and
emotional forms of humor represented by the incongruity and superiority theories respectively,
the relief theory assumes humor is derived from a physiological state.
8
It follows an arousal-
safety narrative, where laughter in the form of an “Ahhh” results after a fearful situation is
resolved.
This research found that certain arousal mechanisms can lead to laughter as we imagine our
own naughtiness or otherwise inappropriate behaviors. In particular, this research found that
the injection of anxiety, taboos or acts of infantilism into a skit creates the best opportunity for
this tension release. But, the form of humor varies in aggression. At one extreme are wild
outbursts or unruliness that tend to shock viewers. The other extreme relates to a milder form
of humor where audiences vicariously live out innocent fantasies. This is often referred to in
Mockery
Mechanisms
CDEs1/Views2CDEs1/Views2CDEs1/Views2CDEs1/Views2
2. Lofty Conquest 3. Mocked Peculiarities
11/10M
1a. Dimwits 58/28M 2a. Outwitting* 45/69M
3a. Background
Mockery/Dramatic Irony
17/8.5M
1b. Sterotyped
Professions
8/3.5M
2b. Macho Gone
Sour
24/62M
3b. Illusory Superiority
13/11M
1c. Celebrity
Impersonation
46/20M
2c. Arrogant
Knockdowns
52/57M
3c. Maladroitness*, #
31/16M
1d. Beauty
Conquered Male
72/56M
2d. Unfair
Advantage 48/27M 3d. Quirkiness
4. Society Satire
68/42M
4a. Cultural Nuance
93/71M
4b. Parodies*
42/12M
4c. Language Peculiarities
11/11M
4d. Cheeky Barbs
5. Bungling Behaviors
17/2.4M
5a. Accident
Prone
5/3.4M
6a. Unfortunate
Timing
4/3.5M
8a. Cavemen 12/15M
9a. Unexpected
Danger
23/11M
5b. Futile
Attempts
29/22M
6b. Bad Idea 27/12M 8b. Grotesque &
Deformed 12/16M
9b. Unexpected
Injury
23/8.0M
5c. Innocently
Offensive
26/7.9M
6c. Lost Opportunity 3/1.1M 8c. Derelicts 20/12M
9c. Unexpected
Damage
3/7.7M
5d. Toxic Stupor 109/65M
6d. Unforeseen
Consequences
14/2.5M
8d. Gross Incompetence 11/8.4M
9d. Spoiled
Romance
47/10M
7a. Paybacks
40/33M
7b. Backfires
2/1.0M
7c. Hangovers
10/2.6M
7d. Overextended
Humor Type 5:
Putdowns
* Humor technique adopted from Buijzen and Valkenburg (2004)
# Humor technique adopted from Berger (1993)
SURPRISE
HYPERBOLE
1) Comedic Device Episodes (CDEs) refers to the number of times the comedic device (e.g. skit manipulation) was identified by two authors across the total video sample.
2) The total number of views garnered on YouTube across all videos in the category
6. Unlucky Happenstance
7. Deserved Repercussions
9. Unanticipated Spoiler
8. Cretins
Humor Type 6:
Malicious Joy*
Incongruity Mechanisms
1. Stereotyping
PERCEPTUAL
DISPLACEMENT
IRONIC
JUXTAPOSITION

the literature (e.g., Speck’s typology) as sentimental humor leading us to the following
typology additions:
 Humor Type 7: Unruliness exemplified through hysteria, belligerence and other forms
of unleashed repression.
 Humor Type 8: Sentimental Humor exemplified through childlike fantasies,
naughtiness and inner secrets.
Shown in Table 3 is a classification of 28 comic devices across both arousal-safety extremes
and narratives employing anxiety, taboos and infantilism. Exhibit IV shows that skits
manipulated for anxiety perform the best. Taboos, on the other hand, work especially well for
sentimental humor.
Table 3: Detailed Performance of Arousal-Safety across Comic Devices
When combined with disparagement, these acts of tension relief create an additional form of
humor that is emotional and physiological in nature. The combination of disparagement and
tension relief leads to what Speck calls a full comedy. For example, we may laugh from
outwitted censorship, slapstick or social order deviancy as we witness someone mocking
society (disparagement) while releasing tension by breaking the rules (tension relief).
CDEs1/Views2CDEs1/Views2
14/9.7M
1a. Angry Yelling 4/1.0M 4a. Invasive Peeking
2/0.4M
1b. Nervous Breakdown 3/1.4M 4b. Unruly Pop Culture Lexicons
8/9.2M
1c. Sports Fanatical 3/4.1M 4c. Recalcitrance
25/16M
1d. Extreme Screaming 5/3.2M 4d. Unsightly Exposure
14/13M
2a. Belligerance
13/3.0M
2b. Forceful Demonstration
19/9.0M
2c. Spontaneous Performance
57/54M
2d. Unleashing Repressed
Impulses
24/7.0M
3a. Annoying Natures
2/0.2M
3b. Incessant Talker
7/1.0M
3c. Ending the Annoyance
10/8.1M
3d. Annoying Repetitions CDEs1/Views2
8. Child Innocence
28/22M
5a. Narrow Escape 29/18M 7a. Dream Exploits 30/9.5M 8a. Youthful Discoveries
24/14M
5b. Trepidation 59/90M 7b. Suggestive Sexual Allusion*, # 2/0.3M 8b. Inner Child
15/8.1M
5c. Barely Escaped Detection 2/0.8M 7c. Contradicting Inner Voice 11/2.8M 8c. Child Mimicry of Adulthood
8/3.6M
6a. Histrionic Behaviors
24/9.5M
6b. Melancholic Behaviors
9/7.3M
6c. Fervent Behaviors
7. Inner Secrets
ANXIETY
2. Impulsive Outbursts
3. Displaced Irritation
6. Melodrama
* Humor technique adopted from Buijzen and Valkenburg (2004)
# Humor technique adopted from Berger (1993)
1) Comedic Device Episodes (CDEs) refers to the number of times the comedic device (e.g. skit manipulation) was identified by two authors across the total video sample.
2) The total number of views garnered on YouTube across all videos in the category
Humor Type 8 :
Sentimental
Humor
Humor Type 7 :
Unruliness
INFANTILISM*, #
Arousal Mechanisms
5. Fear & Anxiety Relief
1. Hysteria
TABOOS
4. Exercising Improprieties

Exhibit IV: Summary Performance of Arousal-Safety Usage
Two combinations of disparagement and arousal especially work well in creating laughter.
Table 4 shows how the combination of taboos as an arousal mechanism and society satire
(putdown) as a mockery mechanisms creates laughter. Another combination involves the use
of embarrassment as an arousal mechanism and unlucky happenstances (malicious joy) as a
mockery mechanism. This adds the following to our typology:
 Humor Type 9: Social Order Deviancy exemplified through society irreverence,
violating sacred barriers and unrefined behaviors.
 Humor Type 10: Awkwardness exemplified through remorseful quandaries,
uncomfortable intimacy and the exercise of humility.
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
Anxiety Taboos Infantilism
Views (millions) across total sample
Sentimental Humor
Unruliness

Table 4: Detailed Performance of Arousal-Safety across Comic Devices
Resulting Typology
Consistent with the literature previously mentioned and video examinations, the study results
show that humor is derived from three distinct theories. Using inductive reasoning, this was
demonstrated by assigning attributes to video narratives that epitomised the tenets of each
theory. A total of 160 comic device attributes were compiled from the evaluations after
screening each attribute for high usage (combined video views) and grouping them into sets
of common characteristics. High order classifications were then made to reflect aspects of
theory leading to a distinct, complete and parsimonious set of ten humor techniques.
As displayed in Exhibit V, the resulting typology suggests that humor theories are not
mutually exclusive. Videos exhibiting aspects of comic wit and mockery, for example, give
credence to both theories of superiority and incongruity. Similarly, videos displaying social
order deviancy exemplify elements of all three theories. In effect, an incongruity is expressed
in the form of irony or hyperbole to portray a social situation that seems out of order. The
intended mock on society rules is supported by the theory of superiority. Finally, the outburst
is seen as an innate desire to unleash society restraints as suggested by the relief theory.
CDEs1/Views2CDEs1/Views2
3/30M
1a. High Society Satires*, # 4/0.6M 5a. Tough Predicaments
3/0.6M
1b. Degrading the Honorable*, # 19/3.9M 5b. Regretful Actions
15/7.2M
1c. Rule Breaking 12/2.5M 5c. Regretful Statements
16/4.9M
1d. Undermining Authority 16/14M 5d. Caught Off Guard
17/45M
2a. Taboos & Sacred Barriers 3/0.3M 6a. Awkward Male Bonding
11/2.1M
2b. Taking Professional Liberties 13/30M 6b. Uncomfortable Intimacy
3/1.2M
2c. Exhibitionism 14/11M 6c. Awkward Conversation
20/4.3M
2d. Face Slapping*, # 4/2.1M 6d. Creepiness
4/52M
3a. Odor Offensive 7/1.9M 7a. Wrong Impression
3/1.1M
3b. Repulsive Behaviors 2/18M 7b. Exposed Privacy
3/0.5M
3c. Unrefined Behaviors 9/1.6M 7c. Public Embarassment
6/6.3M
3d. Bleeped Language 3/0.5M 7d. Unveiled Feminine Side
6/2.5M
4a. Mad Science 3/5.7M 8a. Captured Glances
3/17M
4b. Sadomasochism 2/31M 8b. Revealed Deceptions
2/32M
4c. Public Disturbance 2/0.4M 8c. Exposed True Colors
6/34M
4d. Swooning Women 40/38M 8d. Revealed Fantasies
AROUSAL (Taboos) +
PUTDOWNS (Society Satire)
AROUSAL (Embarassment) +
MALICIOUS JOY (Unlucky
Happenstance)
1) Comedic Device Episodes (CDEs) refers to the number of times the comedic device (e.g. skit manipulation) was identified by two authors across the total video sample.
2) The total number of views garnered on YouTube across all videos in the category
* Humor technique adopted from Buijzen and Valkenburg (2004)
# Humor technique adopted from Berger (1993)
2. Forbidden Behaviors
Humor Type 9 :
Social Order
Deviancy
Humor Type 10 :
Awkwardness*, #
5. Remorseful Regrets
8. Revealed Secrets
6. Uncomfortable Settings
7. Exercising Humility
Arousal + Mockery Mechanisms
3. Offensive Conduct
4. Unleashed Mania
1. Society Irreverence

Exhibit V: Resulting Theory Derived Typology of Humor
Perceptual Displacement
Perceptual displacement represents a form of comic wit that was detected in 11% of the
examined video episodes which collectively accounted for 20% of the total sample video
views. But instead of showing extremes like that of hyperbole, perceptual displacement show
us something out of touch. Stemming from the theory of incongruity, this concept entertains us
by contrasting what we see with what is routinely expected.
9
Mentally, we are asking
ourselves: ‘Did I see that correctly?’
This perceptual displacement can be realized in the form of visual anomalies like bizarre
substitutions as well as unusual personifications, nonsense and misrepresented content. In each
case, the audience detects a mismatch with common perceptions. In the case of unusual
personifications, the audience laughs at the innocence of children or animals acting as adult
humans. Witnessing the character contrast, the laughter is created by a harmless cognitive shift
where the audience often imagines an underdog putting others in their place.
Throughout the last decade, this concept has been played out with over-performances. Consider
the babies in E-Trade and Evian that pose as adults. Several viral videos also feature animals

going the extra mile to motivate themselves or their masters. A great example is the highly
popular Nolan Cheddar video where a mouse driven by “Eye of the Tiger” musters up the
energy to escape its trap (http://bit.ly/1s2NsFl).
Another technique used in perceptual displacement relates to our visualizing objects or scenes
taken out of context. Some of the top viral videos show unconventional routines or unusual
settings surrounding the highlighted activity. In other cases, the viral videos make the audience
laugh when they imagine a human depiction of abstract concepts or literal interpretation of
idioms. EDS portrayal of cowboys herding cats (http://bit.ly/1m2HW0y) exemplifies such
technique well. In this case, the attempt at humor is based on audience detection of a mismatch
with what their minds see as a common practice.
A concept similar to misrepresentation involves the substitution of animals or objects with a
bizarre alternative. One popular technique includes anthropomorphism, where human
attributes are ascribed to abstractions. Allstate used this form of humor to depict the concept
of “mayhem” through the careless habits of an unruly actor who exemplified the dire
consequences of poor insurance coverage.
Finally, one comic device used in perceptual displacement relates to nonsense. As a cognitive
exercise, this form of humor starts with the audience’s observance of something confusing and
proceeds to a recognition of actor ineptitude or imbecility.
Ironic Juxtaposition
Ironic juxtaposition represents a form of comic wit that was detected in 13% of the examined
video episodes which collectively accounted for 14% of the total sample video views. Much
like that of any perceptual discord, irony is characterized by an outright contrast between
expectations and reality.
10
It makes the audience laugh by showing the opposite or undesired
intentions of someone’s actions. Mentally, the audience is saying to themselves: ‘…I did not
see that coming…’ Irony can be realized in the form of visual anomalies (e.g., unusual pairing,
wrong personas and temperaments, hypocritical behaviors) or conceptual incongruities (e.g.,
wild coincidences, misunderstandings or something scripted out of place). In each case, the
audience detects a mismatch with what they expect to see.
Visual irony, or the use of two or more images that do not belong together, especially works
well in content marketing. An unusual pairing of well-known characters or scenes, for example,
make the audience laugh at the imagined conflict. These inevitable battles were played out well
in the 1970’s show The Odd Couple. The series featured a neurotic neat freak pitted against an
untidy, cigar chomping gambler. Audiences laughed at how the two mismatched friends could
possibly share an apartment following their divorces.
Other examples of visual irony include the casting of humans as animals or cyborgs as humans.
In both cases, the irony is enjoyed as the audience witnesses the acting out of a creation
mismatch. Similarly, an oxymoron like the living dead, friendly adversaries or a screaming
mime create laughter as the audience envisions the inherent conflict.
Another successful way to get laughter from irony is through the display of temperament
anomalies such as the mellowing of cantankerous personalities (e.g., John McEnroe and Bobby
Knight). This can also be accomplished through the juxtaposing of characters in contradicting
or aberrant ways such as a mother and daughter fiercely arguing over each other’s kind

attributes as well as a beautiful woman admiring a man’s unattractive habits. A third technique
used in irony involves the miscasting of character roles or intentions. This is often
accomplished through the display of mistaken identities, adult acting children or childish acting
adults or when the audience witnesses the least likely character as a hero figure. Finally,
audiences often laugh over situational irony in which actions have an effect that is contrary to
what was expected. They laugh at the unexpected scene or unorthodox routine such as when
employees let loose in an office setting.
Hyperbole
What Speck and others refer to as exaggeration,
11
hyperbole is another approach to comic wit
that was detected in 18% of the examined video episodes which collectively accounted for
19% of the total sample video views. Dating back centuries as a comic device, it suggests that
laughter results from seeing things blown out of proportion. Most people laugh when they
witness over-the-top demos or exaggerated stories. Perhaps the most famous of viral videos
in this area is the case of Blendtec. The founder, Tom Dickson, produced a series of videos
that grossly exaggerating how iPads, golf balls and even a garden rake could blend in his
blenders (http://bit.ly/1k62WbE). After 186 videos, Blendtec’s retail sales increased 600%
12
while its YouTube site enlisted 200,000+ subscribers and surpassed 200 million views. The
preposterous demos were featured on The Today Show, The History Channel, The Tonight
Show, and The Wall Street Journal.
An effective technique used in exaggeration taps into the audience’s emotional response to
over-reactive behaviors. In this case, individuals laugh at how others take such extremes to
make their point. Forceful demonstrations, for example, are often loaded with intensity so
that the audience can appreciate the peculiar nature of others. In a similar vein, some of the
top viral videos show scenes of extreme naiveté or over-protectionism where we shamefully
find ourselves or close ones exhibiting these same fanatic behaviors.
Finally, many brands and small companies have capitalized on the visual side of
exaggeration. Seeing the visual anomaly, our brains often ask: ‘can that really be true?’ Some
of the most popular comic devices used in this form of wit include the display of supernatural
performances, motion distortion, exaggerated body reactions and incredible allure. The key to
using this humor technique; however, is making it evident that the object of exaggeration is
beyond the realms of possibility.
The popularity of exaggeration as an entertainment device can be attributed to the following:
 It rarely offends any particular audience
 It can be easily grasped visually, emotionally or cognitively
 It can be easily produced in low budget settings (e.g., BlendTec’s budget < $10K)
Surprise
A surprise twist can cause the audience to laugh as they witness or experience a change in
course. This approach to comic wit was detected in 8% of the examined video episodes which
collectively accounted for 8% of the total sample video views. Stemming from the Theory of
Incongruity, this concept entertains us through a distracting segue. Mentally, the audience is
asking: ‘…Where did this come from?’ This surprise twist can be realized in the form of
visual anomalies (e.g., sudden appearances, changes or revelations) or conceptual
incongruities (e.g., storyline twists or unexpected responses). In each case, the audience

detects a mismatch with what they expect to occur next. This often occurs when the audience
is stopped in their tracks after a scene or statement suggests that something is off track.
13
This concept is not new. Years ago, Wendy’s conducted a comical test taste of their
hamburgers. In their famous 1989 advertisement featuring a trucker, the participant was
asked to choose from a delicious looking hamburger A or a nasty looking hamburger B. The
trucker unexpectedly picked hamburger B. This unexpected twist would be followed with
comments like: “…I’m a trucker, I could be eating this baby in Shaky Town and still tasting
it in Salt Lake…”
Plot trickery is another successful method of stealing the audience attention by taking the
viewer down a subliminal storyline that ends in an unexpected twist. Snickers capitalized on
these techniques in their transforming of cranky actors (e.g., Betty White, Roseanne Barr,
Aretha Franklyn, Don Rickles and Joe Pesci) into younger folks ready to return to action after
eating a Snickers bar. Visual surprises can also include the sudden arrival of a new character
(e.g., alien creature) or an unexpected object. Nationwide, for example, shocked their
audiences with a surprise ugly substitute as when the fantasized Fabio turns into a wrinkled
old man (http://bit.ly/1ZGNLpF).
Putdowns
Mockery through putdowns was detected in 15% of the examined video episodes which
collectively accounted for 15% of the total sample video views. This technique capitalizes on
the audience’s emotional reaction to watching others experience a well-deserved jibe.
Stemming from the theory of superiority, individuals often experience sudden glory when
dethroning others or elevating themselves at the expense of others’ peculiarities. Of the viral
videos featuring putdowns, most include satires, stereotype mockery and lofty conquests.
The use of mockery dates back centuries as audiences watched imbeciles and maladroits
parade on stage or be the target of putdowns felt through background mockery. Geico
capitalized on this with their mockery of a poor farmer who spelled misspelled cow as c-o-w-
e-i-e-i-o (http://bit.ly/1ZGNPpi).
A second technique used in putdowns taps into individuals’ desire to dethrone the self-
righteous, the popular, the pretentious and the hyper-masculine. Some of the top viral videos
show scenes of some form of outwitting that shames the victim or proves our superiority over
them (e.g., Miller Lite’s macho moments gone bad: http://bit.ly/1rMDBm8).
A number of top viral videos feature the sudden glory the audience feels when our society is
mocked. Known as satire, individuals often relish the opportunity to poke fun of other
cultures by exaggerating the cultural nuances or language peculiarities of audiences targeted
by our sarcasm. Similarly, people poke fun of celebrated lifestyles with parodies of popular
shows and sports events. Like satires, the use of mimicry and impersonations work well as
putdowns. One of the most popular ways of doing this is through the stereotyping of blondes
or provincial men. The latter is often portrayed as an idiot or someone hypnotized under the
spell of seduction.

Malicious Joy
Malicious joy, or schadenfreude, refers to the pleasure individuals derive from seeing others
fail or suffer misfortune. This form of mockery was detected in 11% of the examined video
episodes which collectively accounted for 8% of the total sample video views. Also rooted in
the theory of superiority, this feeling of sudden glory is often exemplified through deserved
repercussions, spoiled hopes and ineptitude.
A common approach for entertaining audiences with malicious joy is to poke fun of someone
notorious for their clumsy or incompetent behaviors. The 1950’s sitcom, “I Love Lucy,”
reached the highest popularity of any show at its time based on the bungling behaviors of
Lucy. The naïve and accident prone housewife had a knack for getting herself and her
husband into trouble whenever she tried to make a name for herself.
Several viral YouTube videos are based on characters who are accident prone, drunk or
oblivious and tend to say the wrong thing. Men, in particular, are often portrayed for their
bungled behaviors resulting from their one track minds. Another successful way to get
laughter from malicious joy, based on the emotional theory of superiority, is through the
portrayal of spoilers (e.g., spoiling of romance) and storylines that end with unexpected
damage, injuries or danger. In addition, laugher is also evoked upon watching others
experience the catastrophic consequences from bad luck, bad timing or foolish mistakes.
Similarly, many viral videos elicited laughter by featuring instances of well-deserved
retaliation and paybacks against someone who is despised or who is unveiled of their devious
intentions (e.g., Doritos’ advertisement featuring a baby snatching the bag of chips from an
annoying older sibling who incessantly teased the toddler (http://bit.ly/WPH61O). On the
lighter side, some sponsors use innocent repercussions to highlight the misfortunes of
someone overzealous or careless. Lending Tree took this route in their depiction of Stanley
Johnson, who shamefully reveals that his lavish lifestyle has put him in debt to his eyeballs
(http://bit.ly/1n7zgWw).
Another, not so light, but effective use of malicious joy relates to the casting of cretins whose
low class demeanor elevates one’s own status. For centuries, comedies of derelicts, the
grotesque and the deformed have aroused fits of laughter from audiences. A number of
sponsors have obtained high scores in views and engagement from the portrayal of people
seen as physically deformed or mentally subnormal (e.g., Geico and FedEx Caveman:
http://bit.ly/1u49isx and http://bit.ly/1oRuth3).
Unruliness
Unruliness refers to outrageous behavior and was detected in 5% of the examined video
episodes which collectively accounted for 4% of the total sample video views. The relief
theory contends that laughter is created when individuals release tension or nervous energy
such as when they unleash our suppressed desires. Consequently, the audience enjoys
watching others act out uncontrollably or violate some social order such has unleashing their
anxiety through uncontrollable screaming and yelling. According to the Relief Theory, the
audience is likely enjoying the observation of others acting out their own inhibitions through
hysteria, impulsive outbursts, displaced irritation or exercising improprieties.
14

Many viral YouTube videos include scenes of angry bosses losing their control or folks
experiencing nervous breakdowns. Similarly, many of the popular sports-related
advertisements show scenes of fanatics going over the edge to support their teams. Unruliness
is often demonstrated through scenes of impulsive outbursts, forceful demonstrations, body
explosions or outright belligerence. The tension relief can be explained as an innate desire
individuals may have to act out their aggression.
In addition, some advertisements feature one’s deep irritation and desire to fiercely lash out at
others’ facing annoying habits (e.g., incessant talkers) or scenes of one’s wishful naughtiness,
improprieties and forbidden behaviors as invasive peeking.
Sentimental Humor
Often exemplified through childlike fantasies, naughtiness and inner secrets, sentimental
humor was detected in 6% of the examined video episodes which collectively accounted for
6% of the total sample video views. This type of humor taps into the audience’s emotions
through an arousal-safety mechanism. For example, in the first stage or arousal-safety,
emotions are aroused with sentimentality, empathy or some form of negative anxiety. As the
story-line develops, the audience then sees this heightened arousal state as safe, cute or
inconsequential. This shift from high arousal to relief is what creates laughter.
15
Among the types of humor that capitalize on this arousal-safety mechanism are those
involving false alarms, melodrama or child innocence. Children, for example, can easily
arouse emotions with their youthful discoveries and mimicry of adulthood. The laughter
tends to result when the audience watches them successfully overcome their struggles to get
through complicated situations. These story-lines usually start with a sentimental attachment
or an empathetic feeling towards the child. The audience then laughs when they see how their
first battles with courage, romance or independence conclude with a happy ending.
In some situations, the audience may be laughing at how the children trials prove more
fruitful than their own. This may be the reason why individuals love scenes of children
reflecting their own inner self. Several viral YouTube videos are based on child innocence
where the laughter results from children topping their adult counterparts as well as from one’s
vicariously living through their incorruptibility (e.g., Doritos’ 5 year old warning his
mother’s suitor to mind his manners: http://bit.ly/1s8p0mX).
Another successful way to get laughter from sentimental humor is through the relief of fear
and anxiety. For example, just when an audience expects some disturbing outcome, a story-
line then shows the fears to be baseless. The arousal-safety mechanism produces a swing in
emotions which starts with a build-up of suspense causing fear (emotional response) and ends
with something inconsequential (physiological release of anxiety). The technique is
demonstrated in the Dirt Devil viral video of The Exorcist: http://bit.ly/1k9RATV.
Sentimental humor can also be created through melodrama. For example, a story-line may
start with someone’s passionate reaction to a mundane situation. In addition, the exposure of
inner secrets and fantasies are also examples of how the arousal-safety mechanism elicits
emotional swigs in the audience that causes tension relief and consequently laugher.
Finally, inner secrets can produce laughter when the audience observes and hears a
contradicting inner voice. In this case, individuals are likely experiencing an emotional shift

when the imagined inner voice allows them to safely escape from a hostile or awkward
situation.
Social Order Deviancy
One form of humor that combines aspects of all three humor theories involves behaviors that
challenge society rules and expectations. In this case, the audience enjoys watching others
unleash their innate desire to break the law, enter forbidden territory or simply act out their
inhibitions. This social order deviancy is exemplified through narratives about society
irreverence, the violation of sacred barriers and unrefined behaviors. As the highest in
attention getting, this type of humor was detected in 3% of the examined video episodes
which collectively accounted for 8% of the total sample video views.
A popular technique for entertaining audiences with social order deviancy is to poke fun of
pompous society folks. Several viral YouTube videos are based on high society satires, rule
breaking and undermining authority. Common to all is the release of tension experienced by
unloading on someone’s statutes such as outwitting the censorship imposed by honorable
judges, pious clergymen or smug professors.
Another successful way to get laughter from social order deviancy is through the depiction of
forbidden society behaviors such as witnessing the spoiling of sacred rituals and others break
taboos, strip off clothing, break office rules, or slap a smug antagonist. Social order deviancy,
in some instances, involves offensive behaviors such as bad manners or disgusting personal
habits (e.g., foot odor, perspiration or flatulence). As the perfect target of one’s tactless
behavior, this especially works well when exposing the offense to those sensitive to protocol
or classy surroundings.
Other categories of social order deviancy involve letting loose with craziness. One of the
oldest forms of humor involve the depiction of mad scientists’ disruptive behavior in public
places. Finally, the witnessing of women swooning over men in insane frenzies has been a
highly successful humor technique over the years. In 1995, Diet Coke featured an office of
ladies running to windows to get a glimpse of a sexy construction worker:
http://bit.ly/1rNpyN4. Axe took this concept a step further in a video that garnered over 50M
views by featuring hordes of bikini clad jungle women closing in on their prey. In this case,
the hunted was a man freshly deodorized with Axe: http://bit.ly/1pu7J5M.
Awkwardness
Rooted in superiority and relief theories, awkward moments is a disparaging form of humor
that leads to a feeling of sudden glory when we displace our own histories of embarrassing
moments onto others. Among the types of humor that capitalize on awkwardness are
remorseful quandaries, uncomfortable intimacy and the exercise of humility. Scenes of
awkwardness was detected in 4% of the examined video episodes which collectively
accounted for 5% of the total sample video views.
This technique evokes laughter through the depiction of embarrassing situations where
victims are left speechless such as Geico’s advertisement featuring Abe Lincoln faced with a
tough predicament of being honest or offending his wife (http://bit.ly/1xG20LJ).

Another successful way to get laughter from awkwardness is through scenes of discomfort
that arise when someone gets too intimate or reveals too much information. A number of
advertisements feature the discomfort that men in particular feel when other men get too
close or expose their creepy behaviors. Doritos utilized this technique with their
advertisement featuring a man licking another man’s fingers (e.g., http://bit.ly/1PBh7yj). A
similar sense of misfortune is realized when a young boy faces the dreaded kiss of an
assertive girl or when a father is pressed to answer ‘where do babies come from?’
This same displaced embarrassment can also arise when the audience witnesses characters
having to explain themselves after exposing their vulnerabilities. In this case, laugher results
of a feeling of relief from not being the one who has to exercise humility. Southwest uses this
technique in their “Wanna Get Away” campaigns. The story-line features characters often put
on the spot publicly to explain their mistakes (e.g., http://bit.ly/25sNxGR). This technique
especially works well when featuring men inadvertently exposing their feminine or child
sides. The feeling of shame can also result when quiet words are broadcast publicly or when
surrounding audiences get the wrong impression from seemingly perverted behaviors.
Another method used to create awkward moments involves the exposure of someone’s
embarrassing intentions. This often includes the unravelling of a character’s foiled deceptions
when caught red handed. This exposure may reveal a man’s true colors or his inappropriate
glances at another woman. In this case, the audience is likely laughing at men’s behavioral
hypocrisy as well as their misfortune of having a poor disguise.
Humor Performance Results
From the ten resulting humor archetypes, a perceptual map was compiled for each type with
one axis measuring advertising attention (views) and the other measuring engagement (a
normalized compilation of likes, dislikes and comments). The results displayed in Exhibit VI
show that comic wit represents the largest dimension of humor and the most effective in
garnering attention. Narratives involving ironic juxtaposition and hyperbole, in particular,
perform above average in attention and engagement.
Aggressive forms of humor like unruliness and putdowns score above average on
engagement. This suggests that provocative forms of humor create more opportunities for
audience response in the form of comments and gestures of approval than the more reserved
forms of comic wit. Malicious joy, on the other hand, scores below average in engagement
(as noted by below average likes) perhaps suggesting that poking fun of the innocent’s
misfortunes runs the risk of offending audiences.

Exhibit VI: Perceptual Mapping of Humor Archetype Performance
Conclusion
Few would debate the growing influence of entertainment in creating audience interest in
television advertisements. And with the vast majority of this study’s advertising sample
featuring some form of humor, it is no wonder that nearly $50 billion is spent annually on
worldwide humorous advertisements.
16
What may be surprising, however, is the limited
knowledge we have on what types of humor perform the best.
This research found ten humor types to represent the vast majority of high performing
advertisements when measured by total views and social media engagement. Among the
humor types that consistently score above average in attention and engagement are those
based on the incongruity theory. Consistent with the literature, people laugh at unexpected
surprises that break the logical pattern or sequence of events. The cognitive process
experienced by audience interpretation of the ‘joke’ contributes to increased advertisement
effectiveness as measured by attention and engagement. Companies can utilize this humor
technique to increase the life-span of the advertisement and to break through the noise in
advertisement today. Humor techniques such as Hyperbole and Irony can be safely used to
elicit ‘clean and fun’ laughter from the audience.
On the other hand, negative or aggressive humor are found to be less effective in grabbing the
audience’s attention and increasing the audience’s engagement in the advertisement. Humor
techniques such as Malicious Joy and Putdowns should be used with caution as audiences

may find it harmfully disparaging or socially inappropriate.
Finally, it is important to note that the humor type ‘Social Order Deviancy’ scored the highest
in increasing the audience’s awareness. When applied appropriately (e.g., in good taste), this
humor technique shows great promise as an attention getter. Its ability to garner likes and
commentary from this initial attraction, however, remains questionable as the technique ranks
below average in engagement.
Although this research does not consider differences in audience groups (e.g., gender, culture,
age, etc.) when analyzing audience responses to the advertisements, the study provide a
comprehensive typology that reveals the most prevalent forms of effective humor used in
advertisement. From this typology, an examination was made of the performance to expect
from each humor type as measured by audience attention and engagement.
References
1
Barry, J. M. and Graça, S. S. (2013), A Cross-cultural typology of advertising humor, Proceedings of 15th
Cross-cultural Research Conference, Antigua, Guatemala, 8-10 December.
2
Berger, A. A. (1993), An Anatomy of Humor, New Brunswick, NJ, Transaction Books; Buijzen , M. and
Valkenburg, P.M. (2004), Developing a typology of humor in audiovisual media, Media Psychology, 6 (2), 147-
167.
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Speck, P.S. (1991), The humorous message taxonomy: A framework for the study of humorous ads, Current
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Berger, op. cit.; Buijzen and Valkenburg, op. cit.
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Speck, op. cit.
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Speck, op. cit.
9
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Barry, J. and Hale, D. (2014), Humor determinants and relevance in high engagement social TV
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