Purpose: Comparative advertising is seen as an effective means of conveying the differentiating advantages of a brand. Nevertheless, several studies show that a primary effect of comparative advertising is to lead consumers to associate the advertised brand with the competitor brand identified within the ad: it seems that comparison generates perceived similarity among brands instead of differentiation, per se. In order to clarify the issue, the aim of the research is to investigate the relative effectiveness of comparative and non-comparative advertising in communicating the differentiating attributes of a brand. Results: A two independent group experiment was conducted. Two hundred and eighty participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions in which they were exposed to a comparative or a non-comparative print ad. Results show that comparative advertising's effect depends on consumers' perceived differentiation among the brands and consumers' level of involvement with the specific product category. Findings demonstrate that high-involvement consumers that perceive low differentiation among brands represent the perfect target group for comparative advertising in case the aim of the marketing manager is to distinguish a particular brand among the others. Conclusion: This study provides evidence of the relevance of these two moderating factors: not all customers belonging to a product target group perceive comparative advertising equivalently. As a consequence, marketers should implement the advertising strategy which is more likely to be effective considering the characteristics of the main target. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2009.

The effect of comparative advertising on consumer perceptions: similarity or differentiation?

Soscia, Isabella;Busacca, Bruno
2010

Abstract

Purpose: Comparative advertising is seen as an effective means of conveying the differentiating advantages of a brand. Nevertheless, several studies show that a primary effect of comparative advertising is to lead consumers to associate the advertised brand with the competitor brand identified within the ad: it seems that comparison generates perceived similarity among brands instead of differentiation, per se. In order to clarify the issue, the aim of the research is to investigate the relative effectiveness of comparative and non-comparative advertising in communicating the differentiating attributes of a brand. Results: A two independent group experiment was conducted. Two hundred and eighty participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions in which they were exposed to a comparative or a non-comparative print ad. Results show that comparative advertising's effect depends on consumers' perceived differentiation among the brands and consumers' level of involvement with the specific product category. Findings demonstrate that high-involvement consumers that perceive low differentiation among brands represent the perfect target group for comparative advertising in case the aim of the marketing manager is to distinguish a particular brand among the others. Conclusion: This study provides evidence of the relevance of these two moderating factors: not all customers belonging to a product target group perceive comparative advertising equivalently. As a consequence, marketers should implement the advertising strategy which is more likely to be effective considering the characteristics of the main target. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2009.
2010
2009
Soscia, Isabella; Girolamo, Simona; Busacca, Bruno
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
id_2241791_JBP_Busacca.pdf

non disponibili

Tipologia: Pdf editoriale (Publisher's layout)
Licenza: NON PUBBLICO - Accesso privato/ristretto
Dimensione 283.68 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
283.68 kB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11565/2241791
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 27
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 22
social impact