The paper analyzes whether humor in radio advertising aids the listener in
comprehension and recall. The author discusses
past experimental studies that look at the effect of humor in advertising upon source credibility,
comprehension, and audience preference, and compares them to the author's own method of experimentation. From the Paper: "The use of humor in radio advertising is not a new concept. Every year millions of dollars are spent in the development and execution of humorous advertising in the United States. It is a tool that
advertisers and radio stations have been using for years to grab the attention of their listeners. They use humor to help them place a product image in the listeners mind, but does this technique really work? Advertisers use humor appeals in radio advertising in order to differentiate a product whose advertising faces a heavy amount of corporate noise. The use of humor, some advertisers feel, can help listener recall, and attitude toward the brand. Humor, however, is hard to conceptualize or put into operation."