The Effect of Humour Elements on Brand Preference in Online Flirting Contexts

With the rise of social platforms, a new way of brand interaction −brand flirting − has appeared in the public eye. It refers to the interactive behaviour of two and more brands that engage in spacing out through social platforms flat. Brand flirting often possesses humorous attributes and has an important impact on consumer attitudes, therefore, this paper explores how the brand's humorous flirting behavior on social media platforms affects brand preference, and what is its internal mechanism? It is found that brand's humorous flirting has a positive effect on consumers' brand preference, which is mediated by emotional responses and not by cognitive responses; moreover, consumers' gender plays a moderating role in the effect of humorous flirting on brand preference: male consumers are more likely to feel positive emotions from humorous flirting behaviours and further enhance brand preference than female consumers. This study explores both cognitive and emotional dimensions and introduces the consumer gender variable, which broadens the scope of brand communication research and provides brand marketing guidance for marketers.