How promotional content changes ratings: The impact of appeals, humor, and presentation

Susan Tyler Eastman; Gregory D. Newton; Paul D. Bolls

doi:10.1080/00909880305382

How promotional content changes ratings: The impact of appeals, humor, and presentation

Susan Tyler Eastman, Gregory D. Newton, Paul D. Bolls

Public Relations

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study assessed the impact of content - as opposed to structural - factors on television program ratings, seeking to locate clusters of components that would identify effective on-air promotion and allocate content a better-defined place within theoretic models of media priming. Stepwise multiple regression analyses of 1,547 on-air promos for 155 prime-time programs demonstrated that 5-9% of ratings variance was accounted for by content appeals, humor, and presentation in promos for comedy programs. The influence of content variables was greater for familiar than unfamiliar comedies, and humor and presentation in promos contributed to variance in ratings for mid-rated but not high- or low-rated comedies.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	238-259
Number of pages	22
Journal	Journal of Applied Communication Research
Volume	31
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/00909880305382
State	Published - Aug 2003

Keywords

Comedy promotion
Content appeals
Humor
Priming
Program promotion
Ratings

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10.1080/00909880305382

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abstract = "This study assessed the impact of content - as opposed to structural - factors on television program ratings, seeking to locate clusters of components that would identify effective on-air promotion and allocate content a better-defined place within theoretic models of media priming. Stepwise multiple regression analyses of 1,547 on-air promos for 155 prime-time programs demonstrated that 5-9% of ratings variance was accounted for by content appeals, humor, and presentation in promos for comedy programs. The influence of content variables was greater for familiar than unfamiliar comedies, and humor and presentation in promos contributed to variance in ratings for mid-rated but not high- or low-rated comedies.",

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AB - This study assessed the impact of content - as opposed to structural - factors on television program ratings, seeking to locate clusters of components that would identify effective on-air promotion and allocate content a better-defined place within theoretic models of media priming. Stepwise multiple regression analyses of 1,547 on-air promos for 155 prime-time programs demonstrated that 5-9% of ratings variance was accounted for by content appeals, humor, and presentation in promos for comedy programs. The influence of content variables was greater for familiar than unfamiliar comedies, and humor and presentation in promos contributed to variance in ratings for mid-rated but not high- or low-rated comedies.

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KW - Content appeals

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How promotional content changes ratings: The impact of appeals, humor, and presentation

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Keywords

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