Disparagement as a Processing Stimulus for Humor in Advertising

Purpose - This research paper explores the mediating role of attitude towards the advertisement and attitude towards the brand in the relationships between disparagement as a processing stimulus for humor in advertising and purchase intention of the customer.Design/Methodology/Approach - Data has been collected from 202 individuals. Confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, moderation and mediation analysis have been applied and a good fit between the data and tested model was observed. As predicted, purchase intention was positively related with disparagement and full mediation effect has been found. The results of moderation analysis are quite interesting and have been presented with the help of a chart showing interaction effect.Findings - Findings provide media agencies with an insight into the audience emotional consequences in exposure to disparagement used in advertisements. Findings are particularly salient for national and multinational media agencies in Pakistan as well in the other parts of the world.Originality/Value - This is one of the first studies to provide empirical support for the relationships between disparagement and purchase intention in Western and non-Western (Pakistani) context