[go: up one dir, main page]
More Web Proxy on the site http://driver.im/
Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

There’s Something Funny About Humour: Towards a New Understanding of Humour in Marketing

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Marketing in a Multicultural and Vibrant World (AMSWMC 2024)

Included in the following conference series:

  • 37 Accesses

Abstract

This research aims to enhance the comprehension of humour within the realms of marketing practice and scholarship, specifically regarding its definition and classification. Although the primary emphasis is on a marketing viewpoint, the study seeks to present insights into humour that could facilitate its development. In order to address these concerns, a conceptual analysis was conducted on over a hundred papers and 19 expert interviews, which included professional comedians and researchers in humour. The study provides a new definition of humour, encompassing its main identified characteristics and highlighting its ambivalent nature as a double-edged sword capable of instigating both negative and positive outcomes. Furthermore, it provides a new typology of humour applicable to modern use such as meme marketing. Thus far, the literature had focused on the understanding and use of humour in advertising, whilst few studies had delved into other applications. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to address how humour has been wielded in marketing practice and research and how it can be understood in this academic discipline. Furthermore, although prior definitions and typologies of humour exist, they address fragmented characteristics which could benefit from a holistic approach.

Funding by ESSCA, school of Management, Paris, France.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
£29.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
GBP 19.95
Price includes VAT (United Kingdom)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
GBP 119.99
Price includes VAT (United Kingdom)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
GBP 149.99
Price includes VAT (United Kingdom)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Audrieth, L.A.: The Art of Using Humor in Public Speaking. Retrieved March 20, 2016, from http://www.squaresail.com/onhumor.html (1998)

  • Behrens, R.R.: Beyond caricature: on types of humor in art. J. Creat. Behav. 11(3), 165–175 (1977)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berger, A.A.: Humor: an introduction. Am. Behav. Sci. 30(3), 6–15 (1987)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bilá, M.: Language ambiguity and humour. Ambiguity, 34 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  • Blanc, J.: Humour et Résistance chez Germaine Tillion: rire de (presque) tout. Le genre humain. 2, 37–53 (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  • Boni M.: L’humour de la fiction télévisuelle à l’ère du numérique. Paratextes et galaxies du rire. Mise au Point. (2017, mise en ligne en 2020)

    Google Scholar 

  • Catanescu, C., Tom, G.: Types of humor in television and magazine advertising. Rev. Bus., 22 (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  • Charaudeau, P.: Des catégories pour l’humour? Questions de communication. 10, 19–41 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chesterton, G.K.: Humour. The Chesterton Review. 46(1/2), 33–39 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Condren, C.: Mapping the contours of humour. Eur. J. Humour Res. 9(3), 151–161 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conway, S.: It’s no laughing matter: humour, resilience, happiness and the self, a typology approach (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  • Couder, O.: Problem solved? Absurdist humour and incongruity-resolution. J. Lit. Semant. 48(1), 1–21 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Critchley, S.: On Humour. Routledge (2011)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Deleyto, C.: The secret life of romantic comedy. In: The Secret Life of Romantic Comedy. Manchester University Press (2019)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Devlin, M.B., Chambers, L.T., Callison, C.: Targeting mood: using comedy or serious movie trailers. J. Broadcast. Electron. Media. 55(4), 581–595 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dynel, M.: Beyond a joke: types of conversational humour. Lang. Linguist. Comp. 3(5), 1284–1299 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Filani, I.: Discourse types in stand-up comedy performances. Eur. J. Humour Res. 3(1), 41–60 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • File, K.A., Schnurr, S.: That match was “a bit like losing your virginity”. Failed humour, face and identity construction in TV interviews with professional athletes and coaches. J. Pragmat. 152, 132–144 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fowkes, K.A.: The silence of slapstick: the physical comedy of silent cinema. Stud. Am. Humor. 25, 187–196 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gray, J., Jones, J.P., Thompson, E.: The state of satire, the satire of state. In: Satire, T.V. (ed.) Politics and Comedy in the Post-Network Era, pp. 3–36 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  • Gulas, C.S., Weinberger, M.G.: Humor in Advertising: a Comprehensive Analysis. ME Sharpe (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  • Heredia Giraldo, R.: Humor y discurso: una propuesta para el análisis de la protesta en YouTube. Lenguaje. 44(1), 83–109 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ilikj, M.: Use of Humor in Video Content for Promotion of Tourist Destinations on YouTube (Doctoral dissertation, Univerza v Mariboru, Fakulteta za turizem) (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaakkola, E.: Designing conceptual articles: four approaches. AMS Rev. 10(1–2), 18–26 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Järvinen, M.: Humor as a marketing communications tool: a case of a Finnish e-retailer (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kahraman, M.E., Ucan, B.: Classification of Turkish Caricature through computer-aided methods. Indian J. Indust. Appl. Math. (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kauffman, J.: L’humour (juif), arme des désarmés. Imagin. Incons. 1, 93–104 (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelly, J.P., Solomon, P.J.: Humor in television advertising. J. Advert. 4(3), 31–35 (1975)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laineste, L., Voolaid, P.: Laughing across borders: intertextuality of internet memes. Eur. J. Humour Res. 4(4), 26–49 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin, H., Tian, J., Kong, Y., Gao, J.: Impact of tour guide humor on tourist pro-environmental behavior: utilizing the conservation of resources theory. J. Destin. Mark. Manag. 25, 100728 (2022)

    Google Scholar 

  • Malodia, S., Dhir, A., Bilgihan, A., Sinha, P., Tikoo, T.: Meme marketing: how can marketers drive better engagement using viral memes? Psychol. Mark. 39(9), 1775–1801 (2022)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, R.A., Puhlik-Doris, P., Larsen, G., Gray, J., Weir, K.: Individual differences in uses of humor and their relation to psychological well-being: Development of the Humor Styles Questionnaire. J. Res. Pers. 37(1), 48–75 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mast, G.: The Comic Mind: Comedy and the Movies. University of Chicago Press (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  • Mathies, C., Chiew, T.M., Kleinaltenkamp, M.: The antecedents and consequences of humour for service: a review and directions for research. J. Serv. Theory Pract. 26(2), 137–162 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCaffrey, D.W.: The evolution of the chase in the silent screen comedy. J. Soc. Cinematol. 4, 1–8 (1964)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mulder, M.P., Nijholt, A.: Humour Research: State of the Art, pp. 7–11. Centre for Telematics and Information Technology, University of Twente (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  • Pabel, A.: Humour and its use in tourism contexts. Eur. J. Humour Res. 7(3) (2019)

    Google Scholar 

  • Panayotakis, C.: Comedy, Atellane Farce and Mime. A Comp. Latin Liter., 130–147 (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  • Quemener, N.: Stand-up!. L’humour des minorités dans les médias en France. Terrain. Anthropol. Sci. Humaines. 61, 68–83 (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ritchie, G.: Current directions in computational humour. Artif. Intell. Rev. 16, 119–135 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rodrigues, S.B., Collinson, D.L.: ‘Having fun’?: humour as resistance in Brazil. Organ. Stud. 16(5), 739–768 (1995)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruch, W., Hehl, F.J.: Attitudes to sex, sexual behaviour and enjoyment of humour. Personal. Individ. Differ. 9(6), 983–994 (1988)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sahin, E.G.: Rakugo Humor: The Performance of Memory, Mime & Mockery in Urban Tokyo (Doctoral dissertation) (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  • Saunders, M.N., Townsend, K.: Choosing participants. In: Sage handbook of qualitative business and management research methods, pp. 480–494 (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  • Schein, H.: What is film humor? Quart. Film Radio Telev. 11(1), 24–32 (1956)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwarz, J.: Linguistic aspects of verbal humor in stand-up comedy (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  • Shah, H., Menon, P., Bagree, N.: Online humor advertising: does it connect with the audience? Int. J. Adv. Sci. Technol. 29(5), 2504–2513 (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  • Sharpe, S., Hynes, M.: Black-faced, red faces: the potentials of humour for anti-racist action. Ethn. Racial Stud. 39(1), 87–104 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sherry, J.: Four modes of caricature: reflections upon a genre. Bull. Res. Humanit. 87(1), 29–62 (1987)

    Google Scholar 

  • Sørensen, M.J.: Humorous political stunts. Eur. J. Hum. Res. 1(2), 69–83 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Şovea, M.: Représentations stéréotypées et humour dans la bande dessinée française. ANADISS. 16(30), 112–119 (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  • Sover, A., Ben-Meir, O.: Humour, food and fashion: the use of humour and food in fashion shows. Eur. J. Humour Res. 5(1) (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  • Strick, M., Holland, R.W., van Baaren, R.B., Knippenberg, A.V., Dijksterhuis, A.: Humour in advertising: an associative processing model. Eur. Rev. Soc. Psychol. 24(1), 32–69 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thaler, V.: Varieties of wordplay. Crossing languages to play with words. Multidiscip. Persp., 47–62 (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  • Victoria, B.: Humour in film as a method of expression. Galact. Media: J. Media Stud. 3, 98–109 (2021)

    Google Scholar 

  • Vrticka, P., Black, J.M., Reiss, A.L.: The neural basis of humour processing. Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 14(12), 860–868 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wagner, K.A.: Comic Venus: Women and Comedy in American Silent Film. Wayne State University Press (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  • Weinberger, M.G., Spotts, H.E.: Humor in US versus UK TV commercials: a comparison. J. Advert. 18(2), 39–44 (1989)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weinberger, M.G., Gulas, C.S.: The emergence of a half-century of research on humour in advertising: what have we learned? What do we still need to learn? Int. J. Advert. 38(7), 911–956 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yadav, M.S.: The decline of conceptual articles and implications for knowledge development. J. Mark. 74(1), 1–19 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yehorova, O., Prokopenko, A., Zinchenko, A.: Towards a typology of humorous wartime tweets: the case of Ukraine 2022. Eur. J. Humour Res. 11(1), 1–26 (2023)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Young, J.C., Rose, D.C., Mumby, H.S., Benitez-Capistros, F., Derrick, C.J., Finch, T., et al.: A methodological guide to using and reporting on interviews in conservation science research. Methods Ecol. Evol. 9(1), 10–19 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yus, F.: Humour and Relevance, vol. 4. John Benjamins Publishing Company (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  • Yus, F.: Incongruity-resolution humorous strategies in image macro memes. Internet Prag. 4(1), 131–149 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zahra, M., Kee, D.M.H., Usman, M.: The role of humour in emotional intelligence. J. Crit. Rev. 7(16), 389–395 (2020)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University Paris I, Paris, France

    Daphne Greiner & Jean-François Lemoine

Authors
  1. Daphne Greiner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jean-François Lemoine
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daphne Greiner .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Rohrer College of Business, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ, USA

    Vincent Jeseo

  2. Rankin College of Business, Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia, AR, USA

    Jasmine Parajuli

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Greiner, D., Lemoine, JF. (2024). There’s Something Funny About Humour: Towards a New Understanding of Humour in Marketing. In: Jeseo, V., Parajuli, J. (eds) Marketing in a Multicultural and Vibrant World. AMSWMC 2024. Developments in Marketing Science: Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-80904-0_9

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation