"If your seat belt is a bit uncomfort- X able, it might be because you're sitting on it," quips the Alaska Airways flight attendant during the passenger safety announcement. The recording became a hit on YouTube, a video-sharing website. Advertisers have long known that humour can help to sell things, but more companies and public bodies now recognise that it can also help customers pay more attention to safety drills. Airlines from Australia to America have duly taken note. Public-service announcements during the second world war used plenty of jokes, making light of the hardships of rationing. But as the numbers of announcements increased, they became gloomier. Some, such as Britain's "Don't Die of Ignorance" campaign against hiv/aids in the late 1980s, took their moribund tone from horror films. Such efforts can backfire. According to Ashesh Mukherjee and Laurette Dube of McGill University, terrifying films can prompt defensive responses that reduce their persuasive effect.
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