From auto insurance to ready-to-eat soups and satellite TV services, both national and local advertisers in the United Statesâ"and increasingly around the worldâ"invest a great deal of time and money on ads and campaigns in which they directly identify their competitors or refer indirectly to âthe other guys.â Yet business decision-makers and advertising creative professionals have long believed that creating successful comparative advertising can be extraordinarily difficult. Many have discovered that a strategic or tactical misstep can easily lead to a disaster, such as negative responses from consumers, a successful legal challenge from one or more competitors, or the escalation of hostilities into an ongoing and damaging comparative advertising war. Comparative Advertising: History, Theory, and Practice offers scholars interested in why many business decision-makers believe they can win our loyalty by running down a competitorâ"as well as anyone who plans, creates, or pays for advertisingâ"a thorough and timely synthesis of the vast body of historical research, theory, and professional insights devoted to one of advertisingâs most frequently debated message tactics. The overall goal of this book is to discover answers to a simple question: Why do so many advertisers often rely on a message tactic that research and professional experience confirms they frequently regret using?
Industry Reviews
Dr. Beard's book offers a timely, interesting, and comprehensive account of the strategic use of comparative advertising in the United States and abroad. -- Darrel D. Muehling, Washington State University
The Pepsi Challenge. Heinz vs Hunt's. Avis vs Hertz. These memorable ad campaigns show how powerful comparative advertising can be. But make one misstep and you can end up harming your brand. Or even helping the other guy. Beard (Univ. of Oklahoma) provides a look into the history and uses of comparative advertising. Comparative ads were virtually nonexistent until the late 1960s when the National Association of Broadcasters lifted its near ban on them, and Beard notes that's when they began appearing on TV. Once advertisers began to use product demonstrations to differentiate themselves and tout their superiority, the gloves were off. Pepsi won in taste tests. Heinz Ketchup was slower (thicker). Rental car company Avis tried harder. And, more recently, Samsung mocked Apple iPhone buyers as "Wall Huggers" looking for outlets to charge their phones. Though Beard isn't a fan of comparative advertising and questions its effectiveness, his analysis of its pros and cons show why, for better or worse, it is probably here to stay-with or without Brand X.
Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students through faculty. * CHOICE *
Dr. Beard's book offers a timely, interesting, and comprehensive account of the strategic use of comparative advertising in the United States and abroad. -- Darrel D. Muehling, Washington State University
This is a badly needed holistic look at comparative advertising and what we know about how and when it works. Beard's historical perspective is extremely valuable, particularly given that comparative advertising has been used much more frequently in the U.S. than many other markets-but is growing now in at least some other markets. The synthesis of research findings contained in this book is highly insightful and a great addition to the literature. -- Charles R. Taylor, Villanova University; Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of Advertising
A comprehensive and insightful analysis of comparative advertising research and practice. -- Amitava Chattopadhyay, INSEAD
