Basically, comparative advertising encompasses any
and all marketing tactics that involve the comparison of two or more
products or services. Thanks to its broad definition, comparative advertising
can be executed across media: digital, print, TV, radio, outdoor, and more. As
long as the value of one product or service is being communicated through its
comparison to another product
or service, it qualifies as comparative advertising.
Well, I sort of answered this question in the
introduction: Like all marketing strategies, the goal of comparative
advertising is to communicate the value of whatever product or service you’re promoting. Though it may seem as
if some big-name brands use comparative advertising strictly to entertain
people (e.g., Wendy’s repeatedly tweeting about McDonald’s use of frozen
patties), the true purpose of the strategy is to communicate value. Wendy’s
wants you to laugh, but they also want you to associate their food with
freshness.
What’s unique about
comparative advertising is the way value gets communicated. Whereas a
non-comparative ad may say something along the lines of, “This perfume will
make you smell good,” a comparative ad may opt for something like, “That
perfume will make you smell good, but this perfume will make you smell irresistible.” Now,
the value of Perfume A comes not only from its quality, but also from the disparity in quality between
it and Perfume B. Perfume A is valuable, in part, because it is better than
Perfume B.
Comparative advertising
gives your audience an anchor—something concrete, something they can use as a
reference point to better understand the value of your product or service. If
you’ve never heard of Perfume A, being told that it’s “good” might not mean
much to you. But if you’re already familiar with Perfume B, being told that
it’s inferior to Perfume A might make enough of an impression to get you
interested. Comparative advertising allows you to capitalize on the
recognizability of your competitors’ brands; it allows you to turn their market
share into an asset.
One last point before I move onto the examples: There’s nothing wrong with entertaining people. According to a 2018 Clutch study, 53% of consumers remember ads that make them laugh. Humor is an effective way to make your messaging stick, and engaging in comparative advertising gives you plenty of opportunities to get your prospects chuckling. Should writing the perfect punchline take precedence over communicating the core value of your product or service? Of course not. But being funny and being memorable aren’t mutually exclusive.
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