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TheCombinationofHumorandViolencein
TelevisionAdvertisingIsIncreasing
ViolenceintheMedia,2014
BenjaminJ.BlackfordisanassistantprofessorofmarketingandmanagementatNorthwestMissouri
StateUniversity.
Abowlingballfallsonaman'sheadtoadvertiseasoftdrink.Employeeshurlacoworkeroutawindow
becauseofthemeresuggestionthataspecificbeershouldnolongerbeprovidedatmeetingsinorder
toreduceexpenses.Inanotherofficesetting,coworkersuseasnowglobetobreakintoasnack
machineinpursuitofacertainsnackfoodandtoinjureasupervisor.Thisisbutasnapshotofthe
televisioncommercialsbeingairedthatusehumorincombinationwithviolentactstopromotevarious
products.Howcommonismediacontentsuchasthisincommercials?Whateffectdoesithaveonthe
audience'sreactiontothead?

StudiesontheCombinationofHumorandViolence
Theeffectsofviewingviolentmediaarethesubjectofalargebodyofresearchacrossanumberof
disciplinesincludingpsychology,sociology,publicpolicy,law,andmarketing.Initialresearchinthis
areabegantoappearinthemid1950swithavarietyofstudies.Forexample,[Albert]Bandura,
[Dorothea]Ross,and[SheilaA.]Rossfoundthatchildrenwhoviewedliveviolentactsortelevised
violentactstendedtoimitatetheseactionsandengageinmoreviolentactionsthemselves.Arecent
[2008]reviewarticleby[JohnP.]Murrayidentified1,945researcharticlesinthelast50years
examiningtheeffectsoftelevision.Ofthesearticles,approximately600focusedontheissueof
violence.
Arelatedtopicthathasreceivedlimitedattentionintheliteratureistheuseofhumorincombination
withtheportrayalofviolence.Suchstudieshavegenerallyfoundthattheuseofhumorinconjunction
withviolencelessenstheperceptionofviolence.[CynthiaM.]Kingsuggestsonereasonforusing
humorincombinationwithviolenceistorelieveorreduceaudiencestressfromdramaticscenes.
Humormayalsoservetosuggesttotheaudiencethattheeventsarenottobetakenseriously.Ifthe
audienceisaffectedbythiscue,humormaytrivializetheviolencethatisoccurring,assuggestedby
[W.James]Potterand[Ron]Warren.PotterandWarrenraiseaconcern,basedonworkbyBandura,
thatthetrivializationofviolenceleadstoagreaterlikelihoodofsuchactsbeingimitated.Infact,Potter
andWarrenusetheterm"camouflage"torefertotheconsumer'sreactiontoviolenceinthepresence
ofhumor,whereas[Erica]Scharreretal.usetheterm"desensitize."Ifthisisthecase,itbecomes
importanttoidentifyhowoftenhumoriscombinedwithviolenceinvariousformsofmedia,asthis
combinationmayhaveaninfluenceaslargeasorlargerthanthedisplayofviolentactsinisolation.
Trivializedviolenceisthemostlikelytobeimitated.

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Giventhepotentialadverseconsequencesattributabletocombiningthesefactors,thisresearchseeks
toprovidefurtherinsightintotheprevalenceoftheuseofhumorincombinationwithviolenceandtheir
jointinfluenceonadpopularity.Priorcontentanalyseshaveapproachedthisissueinavarietyofways,
includinganalysisofviolenceincommercialsduringsportingevents,aswellasexaminationsof
combinationsofviolenceandhumoroccurringduringnightlytelevisionprogrammingandprimetime
televisioncommercials.Ourstudycombinestheapproachofseveralofthosejustmentioned,aswe
examineviolenceandhumorasdepictedintelevisioncommercialsoccurringduringasportingevent
forthreenonconsecutiveyearsoveraperiodoffiveyears.
Ourresearchalsoinvestigatesthelikabilityofthesecommercialsbyintegratingresultsfromtworatings
systemsofcommercialpopularity.Assuch,threeprimaryresearchquestionswereidentifiedforthis
study:(1)HowoftenareviolenceandhumorcombinedincommercialsairedduringtheSuperBowl?
(2)Howhasthischangedsince2005?and(3)Isthereanassociationbetweenthecombinationof
humorandviolenceandthelikabilityofads?...

TheHumorandViolenceInterface
Asnotedearlier,thereisonlylimitedliteratureinvestigatingtheroleofthedesensitizationofviolence
throughtheuseofhumorouscontexts.PotterandWarreninvestigatedthehumor/violenceinterfacein
thecontextoftelevisionprogrammingandfoundthatcomedyprogramscontainedmoreviolentacts
perhourthanotherprogramming.Morespecifically,theyobserved5,970violentactsduring168hours
ofprogramming,with31%oftheseactsinvolvinghumorouscontent.Basedontheirresults,Potterand
Warrenstatethathumorisnotbeingusedtoreduceaggressioninviewersbyprovidingabreakfrom
violentcontent,butrathertotrivializetheviolence.Thisisofspecialconcernbecausetrivialized
violenceisthemostlikelytobeimitated.Researchhasalsofoundhumortohaveasignificantnegative
correlationwiththeperceivedviolenceinaprogram.Similarly,Bandurafoundthatperpetratorsof
violentactsintelevisionprogramsusehumortodehumanizevictimstounderminetheemotional
responsesfromviewers.
Scharreretal.specificallyconsideredcombinationsofhumorandviolenceinadvertising.Theirsample
included536commercialscontainingaggressivebehaviorduringaweekofprimetimeprogrammingon
sixmajorbroadcastnetworks.Thesecommercialsrepresented12.3%ofthetotalcommercialsduring
thattime.Onceagain,advertisementsformovieandtelevisionprogramswerethemostlikelytocontain
violentactions.Overhalf(53.5%)ofthecommercialsincludedhumorouselements.Ifthemovieand
televisionprogramadswerenotconsidered,87.7%oftheviolentcommercialsincludedhumor.
Weexpandonthispriorworkinanumberofways.First,weanalyzelongitudinally[overaperiodof
time]theoccurrenceofhumorandviolenceinadvertisinginadifferentmediacontext(duringahighly
watchedsportingevent,i.e.,theSuperBowl)andthroughtheinclusionofarichersetofhumorand
violencevariables.Inaddition,inourstudy,wedonotanalyzeduplicatecommercials,aswasthecase
inScharreretal.,whichwebelieveprovidesamoreconservativeassessmentoftheincidenceof
commercialsthatcombinedhumorandviolence.Also,weincorporatedconsumerjudgestoidentifythe
humorous/violentactsinthecommercials,ratherthantheresearchersthemselvesorgraduate
assistantsasinpriorresearch.Thisprovidesinsightintohowthe"average"consumerviewsviolence
andhumorinadvertisements.Finally,wealsoincludecurrentlyavailableassessmentsofcommercial
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popularitytogaugeconsumeropinionofcommercialsthatcombineactsofhumorandviolence.While
priorresearchhasaddressedsomeoftheseareas,therehasbeennostudytoourknowledgethathas
takenalltheaboveapproachesintoaccount.Further,weinvestigatetherelationshipbetweenhumor,
violence,andtheircombinationintermsofadpopularity,whichhasnotbeendoneheretofore....
Aswasmentionedpreviously,thecombinationofhumorandviolencehasthepotentialtodesensitize
viewerstoviolentactsandaddtothelikabilityofadvertisements.Thus,thisresearchwasguidedby
threeprimaryresearchquestionsthatguideourunderstandingofthefrequencyandlikabilityofthe
phenomenonandhowithaschangedovertime.Thediscussionoftheresultsaddresseseach
researchquestionintheorderinwhichtheywerepresentedinthestudy.

HowOftenAreViolenceandHumorCombinedin
CommercialsAiredDuringtheSuperBowl?
Severalinterestingfindings,emergefromtheresultsaddressingthefirstresearchquestion.[These
resultscomefromastudyofthe2005SuperBowladvertisements].Thecontentanalysisidentified234
totalactsofviolence(humorousandnonhumorous)intheapproximatelyonehourand50minutesof
commercials,arateof2.13violentactsperminute.Outofallthecommercials,86,or47.8%,were
identifiedbyatleastoneraterascontainingaviolentact.Ofthe234violentacts,89occurredoutside
ofahumorouscontext.Onlysevenofthecommercialscontainingviolencewerecompletelylackingin
humor.Therewere377humorousincidentsthatdidnotincludeviolence.Outof180commercials,86
containedhumorwithnoreferencetoviolencebyanyrater.Atotalof9commercials(5%)containedno
actsofviolence,humor,orthecombinationcodedbyanyoftheraters.
Humorandviolencewerecombinedin143acts,representing61.3%ofallviolentacts.Inaddition,
27.5%ofallhumorousactsweretiedtoaviolentact.Justunder40%ofallcommercialsairedwere
identifiedbyatleastoneraterascontaininganactcombiningviolenceandhumor.Eightadditional
commercialscontainedactsofbothviolenceandhumor,butnoactsthatcombinedboth.Itcomesas
nosurprisethat71oftheseactscombininghumorandviolencewereinconjunctionwiththe
"aggressive"dimensionofhumor,morethantwicethenumberofactsforthenextcategory,self
defeating.

HowHasThisChangedSince2005?
ThesecondresearchquestionconcernedhowhumorandviolenceinSuperBowlcommercialshas
changedsince2005....Itisinterestingtonotethatinstancesofhumor,violence,andthecombination
thereofallincreasedyeartoyear,withthegreatestincreaseoccurringbetween2007and2009.The
2009SuperBowlcommercialscontainedonaveragealmostthreetimesasmanyviolentactsandacts
combininghumorandviolencewhencomparedto2005,whichrepresentsasubstantialincreasegiven
thatitoccurredoveratimespanofonlyfiveyears.Therewasalsoanincreaseofalmost50%between
2005and2009inthenumberofhumorousactsidentified.

IsThereanAssociationBetweentheCombinationof
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HumorandViolenceandtheLikabilityoftheAds?
Thefinalresearchquestionaskedhowhumorandviolenceinfluencetheaudience.Toanswerthis
question,twodifferentindependentrankings(theUSATodayAdMeterandtheAdBowl.comballot)of
consumers'reactionstoSuperBowlcommercialsintermsofpopularitywereobtainedforthethree
yearssampled....
Thiscombinationofhumorandviolencedesensitizesviewersintermsofreactingnegativelyto
theviolence.
Resultsindicatedapositiverelationshipbetweenthecombinationofviolence/humoractsand
commercialpopularity....
Overall,ourfindingssuggestthatthemostpopularcommercialsduringaSuperBowlwillbethosethat
includeactscombininghumorandviolence....Wealsonoteanupwardtrendintheseactsoverthe
yearsincludedinthisstudy.Actsofviolenceandactscombininghumorandviolencehaveboth
increasedgreatly,inbothcasesmorethandoublingwhen2005and2009arecompared.

Implications
ThatthenumberofactsincludingviolenceandviolenceandhumorinSuperBowlcommercialshas
increasedbyapproximately133%and135%,respectively,overthefiveyeartimespanshouldbeof
concerntomembersoftheacademiccommunity.Furthermore,wefindthattheportrayalofviolenceis
unrealisticforseveralreasons.Someviolentacts(10%)areshowntorewardtheperpetratorfortheir
actions.Thevastmajorityalsodepictnoharmtothevictim(90%)andnopunishmentforthe
perpetrator(98%).Perhapsevenmoretroublingisthatatleastsomeoftheseviolentbuthumorous
commercialswerewelllikedbyviewers.Ouranalysesindicatedthatpositivelyratedadshad
significantlymoreactsthatcombinedviolenceandhumorthandidthoseratedinthebottom10by
consumers.Clearly,thecombinationofhumorandviolenceseemstoappealtoconsumers.Research
isneededtoinvestigatetheeffectsofviewers(especiallychildren)seeingsuchactsinapositive
context.
Weagreewithpreviousresearcherswhoassertthatthiscombinationofhumorandviolence
desensitizesviewersintermsofreactingnegativelytotheviolence,thussubtlyresultinginthe
conclusionthatviolenceisacceptableifpresentedinahumorouscontext.Thedesensitizationto
violentportrayalsthatmayarisewhenviolenceiscombinedwithhumorappearstobeanappealingmix
tosomeviewers,atleastbasedonourpopularityanalyses....
PerhapsmostsignificantisthatourAdMeterandAdBowlinformationindicatesviewersfindthese
commercialsmorethanmerelyacceptabletheyalsolikeatleastsomeofthem.Thus,combininghumor
withviolenceappearstonotonlylessentheimpactofviolentportrayalsbut,moreimportant,mayalso
resultinincreasedlikingofviolentdepictionswhentheyareshowninahumorouscontext.Thiswould
indeedbeanunfortunateoutcomeofthesecommercialformatsifviewersactuallyfindviolencemore
acceptableandlikablewhenportrayedwithhumorousovertones....
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FurtherReadings
Books
TomBissellExtraLives:WhyVideoGamesMatter.NewYork:PantheonBooks,2010.
JamesPaulGeeWhatVideoGamesHavetoTeachUsAboutLearningandLiteracy,2nded.New
York:PalgraveMacmillan,2007.
MaryHestonViolentGamesViolentChildren.LasVegas,NV:InternetMedicalAssociation,2011.
GerardJonesKillingMonsters:WhyChildrenNeedFantasy,SuperHeroes,andMakeBelieve
Violence.NewYork:BasicBooks,2002.
StevenJ.KirshChildren,Adolescents,andMediaViolence:ACriticalLookattheResearch.Los
Angeles,CA:SagePublications,2012.
LawrenceKutnerandCherylOlsonGrandTheftChildhood:TheSurprisingTruthAboutViolent
VideoGamesandWhatParentsCanDo.NewYork:Simon&Schuster,2008.
JaneMcGonigalRealityIsBroken:WhyGamesMakeUsBetterandHowTheyCanChangethe
World.NewYork:PenguinPress,2011.
TomPollardSexandViolence:TheHollywoodCensorshipWars.Boulder,CO:Paradigm
Publishers,2009.
ScottRigbyandRichardRyanGluedtoGames:HowVideoGamesDrawUsInandHoldUs
Spellbound.SantaBarbara,CA:ABCCLIO,2011.
TriciaRoseTheHipHopWars:WhatWeTalkAboutWhenWeTalkAboutHipHopAndWhyIt
Matters.NewYork:BasicBooks,2008.
JodySantosDaringtoFeel:Violence,theNewsMedia,andTheirEmotions.Lanham,MD:Lexington
Books,2009.
LauraJ.ShepherdGender,ViolenceandPopularCulture:TellingStories.NewYork:Routledge,
2013.
ScottSteinbergTheModernParent'sGuidetoKidsandVideoGames.Lilburn,GA:PowerPlay
Publishing,2011.
DavidTrendTheMythofMediaViolence:ACriticalIntroduction.Malden,MA:BlackwellPublishing,
2007.
ErikaWittekindViolenceasEntertainment:WhyAggressionSells.NorthMankato,MN:Compass
PointBooks,2012.

PeriodicalsandInternetSources
JaneAnderson"ViolentMediaDesensitizesBoystoAggression,"PediatricNews,vol.44,no.11,
November2010.
GaryGiumettiandPatrickMarkey"ViolentVideoGamesandAngerasPredictorsofAggression,"
JournalofResearchinPersonality,2007.
MarjorieHeins"OfLiberalsandConservatives:Using'CommonSense'toCensorVideoGames,"
FreeExpressionPolicyProject,November4,2010.www.fepproject.org/index.html.
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DeniseHerd"ChangingImagesofViolenceinRapMusicLyrics:19791997,"JournalofPublic
HealthPolicy,vol.30,no.4,2009.
RandyeHoder"RemixingParentalObjectionsintoRapLyrics,"NewYorkTimes,August19,2012.
JoshKraushaar"StoptheBlameGame,"NationalJournal,January11,2011.
www.nationaljournal.com.
HelenLewisHasteley"ViolentVideoGamesMightBeTasteless,butAreTheyDangerous?"New
Statesman,August8,2011.www.newstatesman.com.
StephenMarche"AreThingsGettingaLittleViolent?AThousandWordsAboutOurCulture,"
Esquire,August2008.www.esquire.com.
StephenMarche"Don'tBlametheMovie,butDon'tIgnoreItEither,"NewYorkTimes,July26,2012.
PatrickMcCormick"MoralKombat:HowMuchShouldWeWorryAbouttheDailyDoseofInteractive,
VirtualMurderandMayheminOurKids'Lives?"U.S.Catholic,April2009.www.uscatholic.org.
ZarinaPatel"Computer/VideoGamesTwoSidesofaCoin,"BusinessRecorder,December10,
2011.
B.A.Primacketal."RoleofVideoGamesinImprovingHealthRelatedOutcomes:ASystematic
Review,"AmericanJournalofPreventativeMedicine,vol.42,no.6,June2012.
ScienceDaily"ViolentVideoGamesAlterBrainFunctioninYoungMen,"December1,2011.
www.sciencedaily.com.
ScienceDaily"ViolentVideoGamesReduceBrainResponsetoViolenceandIncreaseAggressive
Behavior,StudySuggests,"May26,2011.www.sciencedaily.com.
SuchitraSharma"TVandComputersContributetoJuvenileDelinquency:PsychiatristsSaySuch
BehaviourStemsfromWatchingViolentContentonTV,"DailyNews&Analysis,April13,2012.
AishaSultan"ViolentVideoGamesNotaSafeOutletforAggression,DoctorSays,"St.LouisPost
Dispatch,March28,2009.
JimTaylor"Parenting:TaketheOffensiveAgainstPopularCulture,"PsychologyToday,October14,
2010.
E.VlasakandM.Ranaldo"VideoGames,"TheExceptionalParent,vol.42,2012.
S.DavidWilson"Don'tBlameVideoGamesforViolence,"HamiltonSpectator,March20,2009.
FullText:COPYRIGHT2014GreenhavenPress,apartofGale,CengageLearning.

SourceCitation
Harrison,RobertL.,etal."TheCombinationofHumorandViolenceinTelevision
AdvertisingIsIncreasing."ViolenceintheMedia.Ed.DedriaBryfonski.Farmington
Hills,MI:GreenhavenPress,2014.CurrentControversies.Rpt.from"The
PrevalenceandInfluenceoftheCombinationofHumorandViolenceinSuper
BowlCommercials."JournalofAdvertising(2011).OpposingViewpointsin
Context.Web.13Oct.2015.
URL
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