Lakhasly

Incongruity and Surprise
Incongruity or divergence in marketing messages, especially in relation to
the use of humor, refers to a deliberate violation of rational expectations,
making the funny appeal seem unexpected, improper, or inappropriate
(Brown et al. 2010). Incongruity can refer either to consumers’ expectations or to the relevance of the information processed. It can be used in
the execution elements of an advertisement, such as graphics and design,
and in brand or informational elements, including text. Social psychology
research has shown that consumers appreciate divergent, innovative, and
creative ideas.
Incongruent ads are able to create a contrast effect against the other
ads on the market, capturing consumer attention and interest. Divergent
ads increase the consumer’s motivation to process an ad and make viewers curious and interested in the unusual format and content of this type
of advertising (Smith and Yang 2004). The use of surprise in marketing
messages adopts content that is unexpected, not anticipated, and touches
consumers’ emotions. Surprise or unexpectedness is considered important in the context of viral marketing, especially because it appears transform into humor under appropriate circumstances (Brown et al.
2010). It is usually created by unexpected characteristics and uses of a
product, brand, or marketing communication.
The responses to it are usually feelings of amazement and astonishment. Researchers found that surprise, as a generator of humor, is more
effective when it includes a feeling of playfulness and warmth or other
types of emotions such as joy or disgust (Cline et al. 2003; Dobele et al.
2007). Surprise or unexpectedness can transform into humor under specific circumstances. Coupled with other emotional reactions, including
joy (positive surprise) or disgust (negative surprise), it can amplify them
and create a halo effect that influences memory and subsequent affects
(Lombardot 2007; Vanhamme 2000).
Researchers found that positive surprise, as an amplifier of subsequent effects, is an efficient means to generate positive reactions and
word-of-mouth, while negative surprise has the potential for negative
word-of-mouth. Moreover, positive surprises have been positively linked
to consumer delight (Vanhamme 2000). Research has noted that the likelihood of inducing social sharing and viral effects is high for surprised consumers, because of the emotional amplification property of surprise, which
leads to a higher intensity of affective reactions (Derbaix and Vanhamme
2003). Studies concluded that the emotion of surprise has a strong influence on referral behavior, an important aspect for the success of viral marketing. The intensity of surprise is important as studies have noted that
the more surprised the consumer is, the more likely he will be to spread
word-of-mouth and marketing messages (Derbaix and Vanhamme 2003).
The most successful are the messages that are totally different than
consumers’ expectations and are able to raise their curiosity and incite
emotional responses. Consumers pay more attention to messages and
content that are unexpected and take them by surprise and are more likely
to share these distinct messages with their social group