Comparative Advertising as a Competitive Tool

Comparative advertising can be an effective way for new brands to break into markets and for established or tired brands to reposition and regain lost market share. Over one-third of advertising is comparative in nature, while approximately one-quarter of advertising directly identifies or names the competitive brand. (Freeman, 1987) Given that comparative advertising is so prevalent, the focal point of this paper is how to improve the use of comparative advertising. The topics in this paper include: definition and use of comparative advertising, history and background of comparative ads, the pros and cons of using comparative ads, how comparative advertising functions, and guidelines for the improved use of comparative ads. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]