Fear or humor? The effects of negatively framed visual hyperbole in advertising

Abstract

Grounded on the theories on rhetorical figures, incongruity, humor, and the Extended Parallel Process Model, this experimental study examined the effects of negatively framed visual hyperbole in advertising, a previously unexplored research area. Negatively framed literal ads and hyperbole ads with two levels of exaggeration were compared. The results showed that high-intensity negative hyperboles were more incongruous, more humorous, and less truthful than their literal counterparts, while the effects of low-intensity negative hyperboles and literal ads did not differ. High-intensity hyperboles (vs. literal ads) exerted a positive influence on ad attitude through incongruity and humor, and a negative influence on ad attitude through ad truthfulness. The two conditions did not differ in ad attitude. As expected, the fear response did not differ between the literal and the two hyperbole conditions. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Keywords:

• Visual hyperbole
• rhetorical figure
• negative appeal
• negative intensity
• incongruity
• humor

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this research are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ying Huang

Ying Huang (Ph.D. Southern Illinois University Carbondale) is an associate professor in the Department of Communication, University of West Florida. Her research interests include the content and effects of visual rhetorical figures, and the representations of race and gender in advertising.