Professor Marc Weinberger, AdPR Distinguished Visiting Scholar, described his research that explores the effects of violent humor in advertising. Dr. Weinberger delivered his talk Tuesday, February 14, at the Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
Dr. Weinberger, an emeritus professor of marketing at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, is the foremost academic expert on humor in advertising. In 2006, Weinberger coauthored Humor in Advertising: A Comprehensive Analysis, and has published many humor articles in the academic literature.
Dr. Weinberger described how the presence of violent humor in advertising has increased during the last few years. He then detailed two studies he recently conducted that assess the effects of violent humor. Interestingly, women respond more positively to low levels of violent humor compared to men. Men's responses were the same regardless of the level of violence. Dr. Weinberger discussed these findings and their implications for advertisers.
