I have read Jieun Kim’s latest blog post on comparative advertising. In the post, she gave two examples of comparative advertising, one is between Pepsi and Coke and the other one is between McDonald’s and Burger King.

Generally, comparative advertising is used for brand positioning. This method is often appeared in an advertisement where there is specific mention or presentation of competing brands and also includes or implies direct comparison between these brands. In my opinion, when making advertising campaign, the brand companies have to consider how effective comparative advertisements can be and to what extent the company should use this marketing strategy so as not to offend consumers too much.

Obviously coke adherents may be offended by this Pepsi’s advertisement since the comparison is ‘too direct’ and put the ‘tanning polar’ image on coke is a little bit snide. On the contrary, probably the advertisement can stimulate coke consumers keep buying coke; even they will prefer the brand over Pepsi more. However, the McDonald’s and Burger King comparison is milder.

Comparative advertising has been widely used through the years. There have even been instances where this marketing strategy would draw on information in the public to make comparisons between specific brands. For examples, automobile manufacturers use this strategy when selling different models of cars. Airlines sometimes compare their service records and range of onboard services to that of a competitor, as a means of pursuing customers away from the competition. In all instances, the focus is on showing why a consumer should choose one product over the other.

The effectiveness of comparative advertising includes believability, which let consumers think how much they can rely on the information provided in comparative advertisements, the extent of involvement, and the convenience in evaluation^.

There are also negative effects on comparative advertising, such as damages on the honor and credibility of advertising. Negative information can be stored more effectively, and lead to strong recall. On the contrary, such negativity can either be transferred directly to the brand and the consumer’s impression of the brand.