This literature review offers an in-depth discussion of scholarly literature that analyzes consumers' reactions to the use of humor and violence in the Super Bowl commercials. The literature review covered Super Bowl advertising results relating to the effectiveness and likability of ads shown during the Super Bowl. The existing research segmented responses by age and gender to note differences in the likability of the ads relative to certain factors. Factors that were researched include, ad length, use of celebrities, animals, and humor. Research indicated a growth in the use of humor in advertising during the Super Bowl and also the use of violent humor. Other bodies of research focused on the psychology of humor in communications.

The primary research aims to understand what makes a Super Bowl commercial effective for advertisers. Demographic information gathered included age, gender and whether the viewer was a fan/non-fan of the teams playing in the Super Bowl. The research focused on the use of humor and violent humor in a series of ads. Advertisers would be interested in knowing if viewers recalled the product, had a change in the perception of the brand, or had a positive response to the product, and what elements of the ad influenced those perceptions. The research was conducted during the three weeks following the 2022 Super Bowl. The participants were asked to view three 60-second commercials. One commercial included humor, one was violent, and one was non-humorous. The participants were asked a series of questions about the advertisements. Questions measured viewers' recall of the product and whether it was shown or consumed at some point during the advertisement.

The results indicate that humor improves consumer recall over violent or non-humorous ads. Results align with previous research and provide greater detail into the different responses of fans/nonfans, gender, and age to the three commercial types.

Limitations to the study include that the ads were hand-chosen and the population sample was more heavily focused in the New England region which may not be representative of the entire viewing population.

Given the extremely high cost of Super Bowl commercials, the results of this research can help advertisers focus on elements that will increase the effectiveness of their ads.