Many scholars have noted that American society has become increasingly reliant on the use of self-reflexive irony within our communication. This can be seen especially in recent trends in advertising. This phenomenon of self-reflexive ironic advertising grew from the need to communicate with a public that had long since proved resistant to traditional persuasive techniques. (Miller, p. 189.) Like similar trends in advertising content, there is no clear-cut definition of self-reflexive irony as it pertains to advertising messages. It can be best described as those cynical advertising messages that utilize ironical statements to both mock the practice of advertising and to create a shared understanding with the American public. Notable campaigns that fall under this category include Fallon McElligot’s infamous "Dick" campaign for Miller Lite, the Lowe & Partners/SMS "Image is Nothing" campaign for Sprite, and TBWA/Chiat/Day’s "TV is Good" campaign for ABC.

The rise in self-referential ironic advertising is indelibly linked to the development of the American postmodern consciousness. Our society is becoming increasingly resistant to the concepts of credibility, sincerity and honesty. Instead, we prefer to mock those who are too sincere or impassioned. It will be interesting to note how this trend affects the way source credibility is measured and understood. Further research into this new development is needed to truly understand how the way we perceive source credibility may be changing.