Exploring memory for product names advertised with humour

Three studies explored the effects of humour in advertising on brand name memory. Study 1 showed that humour impaired memory for products but enhanced memory for advertisements. Study 2 showed that brands that had been promoted in humorous advertisements were less accessible in memory than brands promoted in non‐humorous advertisements. Study 3 separated conscious and unconscious memory components with the process‐dissociation procedure 1 week after the ad exposure. The memory‐reducing effect of humour was found to be due to conscious memory processes alone. Unconscious familiarity was not affected by humour. The results suggest that humour distracts consumers from consciously, but not unconsciously, remembering the brand names.