The Role of Dark Triad Personality in Comedic Violence Ads

Abstract

Advertising researchers have taken considerable interest in the effects of comedic violence, but much remains unexplored. The relatively new construct of the Dark Triad (DT) personality (narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy) provides an interesting perspective into the study of comedic violence because DT is often associated with anti-social behavior. To investigate this relatively new area of inquiry, we conducted an online survey, which found that the fit of the humor to the message and the perceived justification for the violence were significant predictors of perceived humor in comedic violence ads. We also found a positive correlation between narcissism and the effects of perceived humor and a negative correlation between Machiavellianism and the effects of perceived humor. Finally, our findings indicated that ad attitude and brand attitude mediate the relationship between the perceived humor of ads and consumer purchase intentions.