You’ve probably noticed there’s a lot more comparative advertising being done lately.
Miller Lite v. Bud Light, Whopper v. Big Mac, Campbells v. Progresso and Dunkin’ Donuts (or McDonalds) v. Starbucks all immediately come to mind.
Of course, the poster child for comparative advertising is Mac v. PC:
View Mac v. PC on YouTube
Is comparitive advertising good or bad?
In New ads: battle of the brands, the Christian Science Monitor argues all this comparative advertising might backfire.
Why?
After a negative, protracted political campaign season, people are fed up with negative advertising. And when one brand compares itself to another, both brands receive publicity.
I’ll buy that.
But while some ads can be downright brutal, the fact is consumers are overwhelmed with choices and information, and by comparing one product to another—even though it’s biased—they are learning about differences they might not have been aware of before.
So, do you love or hate comparative ads?
Are there particular brands that you think are doing this type of advertising particularly well?
Comment below to share.
Thanks to Bill Boyd for sharing the CS Monitor story with me.
