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Hyperboles in advertising: a serial mediation of incongruity and humour
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Hyperboles in advertising: a serial mediation of incongruity and humour

International journal of advertising, Vol.39(5), pp.719-737
07/03/2020
Web of Science ID: WOS:000494896900001

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Abstract

Visual hyperbole is a widely used yet understudied rhetorical figure in advertising. This experimental study examined the effectiveness of visual hyperbole over non-hyperbolic visual and verbal hyperbole. A significant serial mediation is found in that visual hyperbole is considered more incongruous than literal visual, and the increased perceived incongruity exerts a positive influence through perceived humour on ad attitude. A similar serial mediation is found when visual hyperbole is compared with verbal hyperbole. In addition, visual hyperbole ads generated stronger product belief than non-hyperbolic visual and verbal hyperbole ads. The advantage of visual hyperbole is attributed to both argument style and mode of delivery. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

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