Conclusion

The goal of this study was two-fold; first, to test if casual Super Bowl viewers respond differently to fans of either team competing, and second, to test if viewers respond more positively to humor and if the type of humor matters. Results in the study show that fans overall had worse recall of commercials played during the game than nonfans. In addition, people had better recall of humorous commercials compared to commercials with comedic violence or no humor.

For advertisers investing all of this money in the Super Bowl, humor will often result in a positive reaction, but not all humor is equal. Comedic violence doesn’t have as strong of a response, which makes this a risky move as advertisers still have to keep in mind the emotional responses consumers will feel. '

Suggestions for Future Research

• A study with greater resources could include multiple examples of humor and comedic violence in order to collect more generalized data.

• Future research could also question whether or not participants consumed alcohol during the event to understand if this factor impacts recall or even perception.