How brand teasing works across different cultures

BackgroundWhile globalization fosters connectivity between people consumers and brands cultural differences continue to shape how messages are perceived. Humor is widely recognized as an effective advertising strategy that can enhance engagement and brand recall. However its effectiveness depends on cultural context as different audiences interpret humor in varying ways. This makes studying the cross-cultural impact of humor in advertising important for both researchers and marketers.AimThis study investigates how brand teasing (self-ironic advertising) is perceived across different cultural contexts. It aims to examine the moderating effects of cultural values and age on brand perception and determine whether humor mechanisms elicit different consumer responses in Western Arab and Asian markets.MethodologyAn online experiment was conducted across Germany Japan and the UAE using a single advertising stimulus manipulated into three levels of provocation: just funny (not teasing) pro-social teasing (playful positive) and anti-social teasing (provocative offensive). The study measured brand perception brand trust perceived provocation and funniness with Hofstede's cultural dimensions (power distance individualism and uncertainty avoidance) as key independent variables.ContributionsBy analyzing how cultural dimensions shape consumer responses to brand teasing this thesis contributes to cross-cultural advertising research and provides insights into the effectiveness and risks of provocative brand communication. Findings are expected to bridge gaps in humor perception re-search and inform global marketing strategies by highlighting cultural sensitivities in brand messaging. KeywordsCross-cultural advertising cross-cultural humor cultural dimensions Hofstede brand teasing teasing communication provocative brand messages brand perception brand anthropomorphism consumer psychology.