Emotional and Cognitive Responses to Nonhumorous and Humorous Threat Persuasion Public Service Advertisements

Abstract

Threat persuasion, also known as fear appeal in advertising, is often employed in public service advertisements (PSAs). In light of its limitations, practitioners have recognized the potential of humor in increasing threat message persuasion, but research on humorous threat persuasion is scarce. Across two studies, responses between the conventional threat persuasion PSA and the humorous threat persuasion PSA were compared. The findings show that the emotional and cognitive responses underlying the two persuasion processes were significantly different, while the overall levels of effectiveness were similar. This supports the proposition that the persuasion routes of these two advertising appeals might be unique. The findings underpin theoretical discussions and several practical implications on increasing effectiveness for the nonhumor and humor threat persuasion PSAs.