International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) |Volume VI, Issue X, October 2022|ISSN 2454-6186
AJILORE Kolade Ph.D., & AROWA O. Oladipo
Department of Mass Communication, Babcock University, Ilishan Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria
Abstract: Humour and drama appeals have become one of the most widely employed communication tactics in advertising; yet, our understanding of this advertising genre’s challenges still needs to be updated, as most of the literature on the subject, particularly drama, needs to be updated. In the meantime, concerns about their effectiveness continue to arise. Concepts, methods, models, types, and elements of humour and drama were examined through conceptual review. Premised on the Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion (ELM) theory, which explains how persuasion occurs and the strength of attitudes formed as a result of those processes, the paper concludes that while humour and drama are not a guarantee of better ads, their impact can be enhanced with careful consideration of the goals, audience, and situation. In addition, since this paper is only a conceptual review, it is anticipated that it will contribute to a further explanation of humour and drama and their mediating role in the relationship between advertising appeals and consumer intention. This may then be further investigated to yield empirical findings about the dynamic nature of these advertising genres.
Keywords: Humour Appeal, Drama Appeal, Television Commercial, Contemporary Issues
I. INTRODUCTION
Advertising has assumed an essential dimension in marketing, becoming one of the most important commercial activities. Most companies expend a massive part of their budget creating and running advertisements to promote their companies and products. Components of rational and emotional advertising appeals have become the go-to appeal to consumers’ subconscious. According to Mazhar, Jalees, Asim, Alam and Zaman (2022), advertising impacts people’s opinions, behaviours, and lifestyles. It is one of the most important means of communication between the product manufacturer and the end consumer. Ateke (2015) emphasizes that consumers are likelier to associate brands’ advertisements with emotional values and messages. Positive emotional appeals provide a strong brand cue and stimulate category-based processing.
The four communicative powers of advertising are stopping power, locking power, feeling power, and moving power. Advertising stops when it is attention-grabbing; it locks purchase-oriented cues into memory to engender recall, stimulates positive emotions, and ultimately nudges prospects to the level of willingness. It is pertinent to note that choosing appropriate advertising content cues that grab consumers’ attention and persuade them has become more complex,