Presenter: HaodongYang

Laughing Into Loyalty: How Humorous Advertising Shapes Young Consumers’ Brand Attitudes

Type of Presentation: Oral

Abstract

As young consumers spend more time on digital platforms, humorous advertisements have become a common way for brands to gain attention and appear more relatable. Based on previous research, humor is widely used in advertising because it can attract attention, create enjoyment, and influence consumer responses. However, less research has explored how young consumers themselves explain the relationship between humor and brand attitude. This proposed study will examine how humorous advertising shapes young consumers’ attitudes toward brands in the context of digital media. The project will focus on university students aged 18 to 25 who regularly use social media platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. Data will be collected through semi-structured interviews in which participants discuss their reactions to selected humorous advertisements. The study expects to find that humor can make advertisements more memorable, enjoyable, and persuasive, although consumer responses may depend on how well the humor fits the product, brand image, and audience background. This research aims to provide a better understanding of how humor influences brand evaluation among young consumers.

Biography

Haodong Yang is a first-year student in the Vantage One Arts program at the University of British Columbia.His research focuses on how humorous advertisements on social media influence young consumers’ attitudes toward brands. He is personally interested in this topic because humor is common in online advertisements and daily media use.