Comparative Advertising on Websites
Recently I was working on the strategy behind some comparative advertising that was to be done online. It involved the creation of both a website that utilised comparative theory and also advertising material to support the website for an imminent booking schedule.
Just to set the scene, comparative advertising is when a brand compares itself to that of another brand, attempting to claim superiority by explicitly naming the other and highlighting the missing benefits.
In doing so, I established the pro’s and con’s of comparative advertising – namely from my primary source ‘Consumer Behaviour, Schiffman 2008’.
Positive attributes of comparative advertising online:
1. Studies have indicated that comparative advertising is capable of exerting positive effects on brand attitudes, especially purchase decisions.
Considering that websites can be launched at any second of the day, followed by a strategic search marketing campaign to get the site found – it interested me to note that the ability to start changing attitudes and consumer behaviour can happen almost instantly.
2. Comparative advertising is very effective when the other brand is not as known.
Research has suggested that brands that are relatively new are able to quickly grow market recognition through assimilating their offering to that of the competitors. The advertising can even go a step further and outline clear benefits and further attributes that the competing brand is either yet to have or yet to acknowledge. Doing this helps position the product or service on an established level already acknowledged by the consumer.
Negative attributes of comparative advertising online:
1. It is suggested that comparative advertising can assist in competitor brand recall.
This was one of the worrying findings for me. I was concerned that I would inadvertently assist the brand recal of major competing brands. Though this suggestion is up for debate amongst academics – the online sphere is yet to really put this to the test.
2. Comparative advertising is aggressive and not suited to all markets.
Do you remember the Herron VS Panadol comparative advertising on television? The consumer backlash from Australians towards that ad created alot of negative sentiment. It was seen as overly aggressive and more to the point ‘the un-Australian way’ of doing things.
To compare or not to compare?
Through vast amounts of research, it was decided that a comparative campaign was right for this particular product. More importantly, the website was going to actively inform consumers that product X was just as superior to product Y – yet at a more affordable price and with further benefits.
Although sentiment towards TV commercials utilising comparative advertising is rather sour, the online world is much more understanding with many users having a desire to know exactly what they are getting and how it differs to competing products and services.
