I can do it better: an argument for comparative advertising

Author Al Marshall Published 11 September 2009

Marketers are constantly challenged by how best to communicate their product offers to the marketplace. Growth and mature product categories are generally crowded, and competition can be fierce. So how do marketers best communicate with their target market members, raise brand awareness levels, build a positive brand knowledge, and place their brand in the consideration set of consumers? One method is comparative advertising—perhaps one of the most vigorously debated forms of advertising.

Comparative advertising compares two or more recognised brands in the same product class or category, and makes comparisons in terms or one or more specific product attributes. The direct comparison approach names and compares two or more brands. It is used to demonstrate why a particular brand is superior to another. A well-known example is the ongoing advertising stoush between Duracell and Eveready.

This type of advertising is discussed a lot in academic and marketing industry literature, and sometimes even in popular media. The debate about its effectiveness is often polarised: some marketers believe it works, some actively avoid it.

Arguments for Comparative Advertising

• Improves consumers' information about available products and prices
• Effective in brand promotion, particularly for more minor brands
• Assertions about superiority cannot be made unless on firm ground. Consumers know this, which promotes confidence in the claim if accepted
• Allows lesser-known brands/those with smaller market share to compare themselves favorably with market leaders
• Provides consumers with attributes to compare different brands
• Invites consumers with established brand affiliations to reconsider their choices
• Communicates product differentiation to consumers who may have thought there were few differences between products
• May assist in product positioning, which is always in relation to competitors
• May be particularly effective in product categories where consumers exercise rational decision making
• Promotes competition that is ultimately good for the marketplace and competitors
• invites consumers to consider brands that they might not otherwise have considered

But if comparative advertising is so effective, why would some marketers avoid it?