The individual/combined effects and order effects of fear and humor in sun safety messages on social media

Purpose Research on fear and humor appeals in both social marketing and public health communication has been extensively discussed. However, with the popularity of social media platforms that allow multiple images and videos in a single post, this study aims to seek to provide effective message strategies to communicate sun safety behavior by investigating individual/combined effects and order effects of fear and humor appeals in health messages. Design/methodology/approach This study consists of two online experimental studies examining effective message strategies to communicate sun safety behavior. In Study 1, using a fictitious Instagram account with three conditions (fear vs humor vs fear with humor), this study tested the individual effect of either fear or humor versus the combined effect of fear and humor on sun safety social media posts to identify which message appeal leads to more engagement on social media and healthier decision-making process. Study 2 varied the presentation order of fear and humor in health messages to test which specific presentation order can enhance persuasion outcomes in conjunction with issue involvement. Findings Study 1 showed that humor, with or without fear, positively influenced participants’ attitude and behavioral intention toward sun safety behaviors through an increase in perceived message effectiveness. Study 2 results indicated that fear-then-humor presentation order produced greater perceived message effectiveness, resulting in a more favorable persuasion outcomes for individuals with low levels of issue involvement. Originality/value This study highlights the role of humor in public health marketing strategies by demonstrating the buffer effects of humor in fear appeals, especially for individuals with low levels of issue involvement. These findings extend the current fear and humor literature by offering significant theoretical implications for understanding individual differences in healthier decision-making.