Turning flaws into favors: Exploring the impact of self-mockery on purchase intention for aesthetically flawed products

This study explores how self-mockery in advertising influences consumer perceptions and consumption values, offering a humorous approach to mitigate negative evaluations of aesthetically flawed products. Drawing on incongruity theory and the consumption values framework, it examines the impact of self-mockery on purchase intentions. By evoking perceptions of surprise, novelty, and credibility, self-mockery serves as a unique advertising strategy to shape consumer value perception and decision-making. A total of 295 participants were randomly assigned to a scenario-based experimental study using a between-subjects factorial design with one factor (self-mockery: present vs. absent). The results demonstrate that self-mockery enhances the appeal of flawed products by increasing perceptions of surprise, novelty, and credibility, which positively affect functional, emotional, and epistemic consumption values. These shifts improve consumers’ purchase intentions for aesthetically flawed products. The study contributes to the literature on self-mockery in advertising by clarifying its role as a form of humor through the lens of consumption values and incongruity theory. It identifies the psychological mechanisms that drive consumer responses to unexpected situations. Additionally, the findings provide practical insights for marketers, demonstrating how self-mockery can be used to create impactful advertising that repositions aesthetically flawed products, enabling brands to deviate from traditional beauty standards while fostering greater consumer acceptance. Finally, the study offers valuable insights for consumers participating in re-commerce and second-hand markets, highlighting how these practices not only support individual transactions but also drive the overall growth of re-commerce, promote sustainability by extending product lifecycles, reduce waste, and ultimately benefit society as a whole.