Why should people care about this topic? What about it warrants future study?
| Brand Teasing | Communication Patterns in Joint Decision-Making | Humor in consumer-brand relationships |
|---|---|---|
| This is observed in the world, and yet we don’t know if or how it works | This is observed in the world, and yet we don’t know if or how it works | |
| Popular brands like Wendy’s, Postmates, and RyanAir have gained notoriety by making fun of their consumers, but is this an effective strategy to build strong consumer relationships? | Communication is a key aspect of the joint decision-making process, yet an understanding of how people converse during joint decisions is lacking. In the present research, we found that joint decision conversations are comprised of distinct communication patterns (i.e., the structure of partners’ responses to each other). | Humor appeals are classic marketing tools. The effect of humor on consumer cognition (e.g., attention, recall, recognition), affect (e.g., positive emotions, brand attitudes), and behavior (e.g., purchase, word-of-mouth) are well documented in the marketing literature. The current review takes a different approach. We argue that humor is an especially effective marketing communication tool for fostering close consumer-brand relationships. Relationships are proving to be key to marketing outcomes such as purchase and word-of-mouth. |
| Brand Teasing | Communication Patterns in Joint Decision-Making | Humor in consumer-brand relationships |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple studies and analytical approaches | One methodological technique | Conceptual / review paper |
| Across 11 (seven pre-registered) studies, using lab data, field data, and a variety of analytical approaches,… | Using content analysis, we analyzed nearly two hundred joint decision conversations from shop-along observations | We provide a synthesis of interdisciplinary research… |
| Brand Teasing | Communication Patterns in Joint Decision-Making | Humor in consumer-brand relationships |
|---|---|---|
| Summary of main effects, mediators and moderators for an experimental paper | Summary of qualitative findings | Main point of a conceptual review (this probably could be better) |
| …the current research demonstrates that teasing communication increases consumer engagement with and connection to the brand compared to merely funny or neutral communication. These effects occur because consumers anthropomorphize brands more when they use teasing communication. This leads to greater engagement with brand messages and greater self-brand connection (SBC). We also leverage the interpersonal teasing literature to distinguish between prosocial and antisocial teases and highlight an important boundary condition. Specifically, we demonstrate that while prosocial teasing evokes a positive human schema, antisocial teasing, although still anthropomorphic, activates a negative human schema, which reduces connection to the brand. As a result, antisocial teases lose their relational advantage over purely funny communication. | Based on our findings and converging evidence from disparate literatures, we developed a phenomenologically based taxonomy of four primary communication patterns that decision partners use throughout the decision lifecycle: (1) get on the same page, (2) build, (3) contrast (including persuasion and devil’s advocate), and (4) one-sided. We then used these communication patterns as the building blocks of joint decision conversations to model how communication patterns dynamically flow during joint decision-making conversations and to examine how the usage of the communication patterns affects immediate decision satisfaction outcomes. | … to argue that humor is an effective means to initiate and maintain strong positive relationships |
| Brand Teasing | Communication Patterns in Joint Decision-Making | Humor in consumer-brand relationships |
|---|---|---|
| If advancements are evident, you should list them. Make this this is aligned with the contributions you list in your intro and GD | If advancements are too complex to list simply, you can kick the can down the road for later. | If advancements are too complex to list simply, you can kick the can down the road for later. |
| This work contributes to the streams of research on brand humor, anthropomorphism, and consumer–brand relationships. It also provides actionable implications by demonstrating a novel antecedent to consumer–brand connection and the boundaries within which these positive effects are expected to occur. | Theoretical advancements and practical implications of this novel model of communication in joint decision-making are discussed, as are areas for future research. | We conclude with an agenda for future research to answer both basic and applied research questions regarding the role of humor in consumer-brand relationships. |