Intertextuality and failed taboo humour in advertising

Abstract

Humour is often exploited in advertising to enhance the positive image of a brand or corporate company, as well as to promote products or services. Advertisers seek the involvement of the audience via covert or overt references that, in their opinion, may trigger humour and, hypothetically, result in a positive customer response. However, using intertextual humour in advertising can sometimes be risky because, even though the ideal interlocutor is supposed to be familiar with the humorous reference the author alludes to, the latter can never be certain of whether it will be favourably received. The matter is further complicated if the advert relies on references that play on taboo or transgressive topics, which some may find humorous while others will consider distasteful. After all, humour is a phenomenon that varies according to individual cultures and historical time, as well as in terms of how it is perceived and whether it is appreciated. In this context, this study focuses on the use of intertextual taboo humour in adverts and campaigns that exploit both verbal and non-verbal texts. It particularly explores the reasons for the target clientele’s reaction, which has had a boomerang effect on the brand and company itself. The suggested hypothesis is that the simultaneous exploitation of verbal and non-verbal intertextual references (consciously or unconsciously) activates multiple targets and scripts that cause the intended humour to fail in its scope.

Humorous advertisement categories

“…Failed humour (boring, offensive or unrealised) has a clear negative effect (Flaherty et al 2004). The audience is often offended because of intentionally humorous advertisements; however, this has more to do with the themes involved, which are often aggressive arousal safety humour, including violation of social norms or taboos (Beard, 2008;Dore 2020). Furthermore, humour is subjective, and repeated encounters with the advertisement reduce the fun (Ackerman 2011, as cited in Djambaska et al 2016).…”

Por qué tu coño te parece feo

“…El tabú estético se construye en la cultura, en el caso del parto, especialmente el momento de la coronación y las experiencias que citaba Clements pasa a ser tabú a través de la oclusión sistemática de estos aspectos en el arte, las representaciones populares, médicas, o el cine (Tyler En general, la gente tiende a preferir o esperar un humor alejado de temas tabú, como la edad o el género, sancionados socialmente, debido a que pueden relacionarse con la muerte o el sexo, respectivamente, y así avergonzar a la audiencia en lugar de divertirla, como demuestra Marguerita Dore analizando imágenes como la figura 2, en la que expresa el rechazo de una campaña publicitaria de Burger King por poder asemejarse a una felación (Dore, 2020).…”

Perception of Taboo Humor in Intercultural Online Communication Through Social Medai

“…Whereas, only 10 comments or 25% talked about the product she was displaying. A study by Dore (2020), concluded that using humor to advertise product and services can backfire as there is no guarantee whether it will garner the desired feedback. Even so, this case, is again an anomaly.…”