Validating across-class brand anchoring theory: Issues and implications

One of the newest types of comparative advertising is across-class brand anchoring. Its intended purpose is to create a differential advantage for the sponsor's brand through the creation of a perception of good value. This study assesses the validity of this approach through a study of associational branding via alternative ad treatments. The results indicate that those ad-exposed respondents perceiving the brand to be of higher quality when contrasted to those perceiving it to be of lower quality show evidence of the effects of assimilation, or greater similarity between the referent brand and the exemplar brand, and an enhanced perception of good value. Overall, the findings suggest that across-class brand associations follow prescribed theory and warrant consideration as a strategic option in the creation of differential advantage. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]