Comparative advertising could be seen as the most effective means of conveying the differentiating advantages of a brand. Nevertheless, several empirical studies have reported that comparative advertising primarily associates the advertised brand to the competitor identified within the ad: thus it seems that comparative advertising generates perceived similarity among brands instead of differentiation. In order to clarify the issue, our research investigates the relative effectiveness of comparative and non comparative advertising in communicating the differentiating attributes of a brand. Results show that not all consumers belonging to a product target perceive comparative advertising equivalently. Rather, its effect depends on consumers’ perceived differentiation among the brands and consumers’ level of involvement in the specific product category.
The Effect Of Comparative Advertising On Consumer Perceptions: Similarity Or Differentiation
BUSACCA, BRUNO GIUSEPPE;SOSCIA, ISABELLA
2007
Abstract
Comparative advertising could be seen as the most effective means of conveying the differentiating advantages of a brand. Nevertheless, several empirical studies have reported that comparative advertising primarily associates the advertised brand to the competitor identified within the ad: thus it seems that comparative advertising generates perceived similarity among brands instead of differentiation. In order to clarify the issue, our research investigates the relative effectiveness of comparative and non comparative advertising in communicating the differentiating attributes of a brand. Results show that not all consumers belonging to a product target perceive comparative advertising equivalently. Rather, its effect depends on consumers’ perceived differentiation among the brands and consumers’ level of involvement in the specific product category.
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