Comparative and Noncomparative Advertising
Dhruv Grewal, Sukumar Kavanoor, Edward F. Fern, Carolyn Costley, & James Barnes
Comparative Versus Noncomparative Advertising: A Meta-Analysis
Previous research and reviews on comparative advertising report mixed results. The authors report the results from a meta-analysis that examines the efficacy of comparative advertising. The analysis shows that comparative ads are more effective than noncomparative ads in generating attention, message and brand awareness, levels of message processing, favorable sponsored brand attitudes, and increased purchase intentions and purchase behaviors. However, comparative ads evoke lower source believability and a less favorable attitude toward the ad. Additional analyses of moderator variables find that market position (sponsor, comparison, and relative), enhanced credibility, message content, and type of dependent measure (relative versus nonrelative) affect some of the relationships between advertising format and cognition, brand attitudes, and purchase intentions. New brands comparing themselves to established brands appear to benefit most from comparative advertising.
C
omparative advertising has become increasingly prevalent in the United States media. Some examples of the many advertising campaigns using comparative advertising include MCI comparing its long-distance call prices and service to AT&T; VISA comparing the number of merchants accepting its credit card to American Express; Burger King comparing its cooking method to McDonald 's; and various beverage producers challenging competitors in taste tests. Recent estimates indicate that comparative advertising formats account for one-third of all advertisements (Neiman 1987; Stewart and Furse 1986) and close to 80% of all television commercials (Pechmann and Stewart 1990b). Comparative advertising 's increased popularity may be partly due to the Federal Trade Commission 's informal encouragement of explicit comparisons (Tannenbaum 1974; Wilkie and Farris 1975),
Comparative Versus Noncomparative Advertising: A Meta-Analysis
Previous research and reviews on comparative advertising report mixed results. The authors report the results from a meta-analysis that examines the efficacy of comparative advertising. The analysis shows that comparative ads are more effective than noncomparative ads in generating attention, message and brand awareness, levels of message processing, favorable sponsored brand attitudes, and increased purchase intentions and purchase behaviors. However, comparative ads evoke lower source believability and a less favorable attitude toward the ad. Additional analyses of moderator variables find that market position (sponsor, comparison, and relative), enhanced credibility, message content, and type of dependent measure (relative versus nonrelative) affect some of the relationships between advertising format and cognition, brand attitudes, and purchase intentions. New brands comparing themselves to established brands appear to benefit most from comparative advertising.
C
omparative advertising has become increasingly prevalent in the United States media. Some examples of the many advertising campaigns using comparative advertising include MCI comparing its long-distance call prices and service to AT&T; VISA comparing the number of merchants accepting its credit card to American Express; Burger King comparing its cooking method to McDonald 's; and various beverage producers challenging competitors in taste tests. Recent estimates indicate that comparative advertising formats account for one-third of all advertisements (Neiman 1987; Stewart and Furse 1986) and close to 80% of all television commercials (Pechmann and Stewart 1990b). Comparative advertising 's increased popularity may be partly due to the Federal Trade Commission 's informal encouragement of explicit comparisons (Tannenbaum 1974; Wilkie and Farris 1975),
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