Comparative Advertising: Comparison And Multiple Dimensions Of Comparative Advertising

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Comparative advertising has multiple dimensions. These dimensions relate to the type and objective of comparison, claims of superiority over or parity with the competitor, the kind of products that use comparative advertising, whether the comparisons are made with single/multiple competitor(s), the valence of comparison, and whether dominant or weak market share brands use comparative advertising more often.
a) Type of Comparison (Direct/Indirect):
In direct comparative advertisements, commercials will specify a competing brand or product by name and allege that brand or product being promoted is in some way superior. This most frequently occurs when two primary competitors dominate an industry. For example, commercials directly alleging that …show more content…

When a brand wants to be associated with a leading brand, it will use exemplary based positioning to accomplish brand consideration by direct comparisons with the market leader or other major brands
c) Comparison Frame (Maximal/Minimal):
In the present competitive world, it seems that advertisers are openly comparing themselves to their competitors and claiming superiority over them and no more claiming parity. There are two types of comparative advertising frames: a maximal claim, where the advertised brand claims superiority over the competitor brand, and a minimal claim, wherein the advertised brand claims parity/similarity with the competitor.
d) Product Consumption Benefits (Hedonic/Utilitarian):
Any brand can be positioned as either functional or experiential, and some brands offer a mixture of functional and experiential benefits. Consumers purchase goods and services and perform consumption behaviors for two basic reasons: consummator affective (hedonic) gratification and/or instrumental, utilitarian …show more content…

e) Comparison Strategy (Compared to a Single Competitor/Multiple Competitors)
Brands using comparative advertisements would refer to one of the following competitors in the advertisement: the market leader, the No. 2 player in the segment, or the immediate competitor. But given today’s competitive environment with multiple strong brands, brand managers may no longer restrict their strategy to comparing themselves to a high-share brand or the market leader.
f) Valence (positive or Negative):
A positive comparative advertisement emphasizes the superiority of the advertised brand over the comparison brand by claiming that the advertising brand is better, but at the same time it acknowledges that the comparison brand as a favorable one. In contrast, a negative comparative advertisement denigrates the comparison brand and bases its claim for the advertised brand’s superiority on the latter’s positive attributes and the competitor’s negative attributes.

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