Comparative Advertising in India: A Content Analysis of English Print Advertisements

Abstract

We conducted a content analysis on 203 comparative print advertisements in India. We found that as hypothesized, direct comparative advertisements were used more (vis-à-vis indirect ones), differentiative claims were used more (vis-à-vis associative ones), maximal claims were higher than minimal claims, multibrand comparisons were greater in number (vis-à-vis single-brand comparisons), positive valence is preferred to negative valence, and underdog brands used more comparative advertisements than top-dog brands. Contrary to expectations, we found that hedonic and utilitarian products used comparative advertisements equally. We offer a snapshot of the state of comparative advertisements in India that would be useful to managers and researchers.

Direct or indirect comparative ads: The moderating role of information processing modes

“…A set of two conditions were prepared, manipulating the comparison formats: direct and indirect comparative ads. Kalro et al () revealed that approximately 70 per cent of the comparative ads were “multibrand” (where the advertiser compares advertising brand to multiple players in that category). Therefore, in this research, we compared Toshiba TG‐03 to three leading players in the market, under both direct and indirect comparisons.…”

“…Some classic examples of comparative advertising campaigns are that of Avis versus Hertz (Lawrence, ) and Silverado trucks by General Motors versus Dodge Ram trucks by Chrysler Corp (Williams, ). Comparative advertising is widely used in emerging markets as well (Kalro et al , ); some recent examples include Ford India versus the rest (Singh, ) and Reckitt Benckiser's Quantum dishwashing detergent versus Procter & Gamble's Cascade (Neff, ). Sometimes, brands are compelled to retaliate to competitor attacks.…”

“…In many consumer markets (like USA, India, and Philippines), advertisers use a mix of both direct and indirect comparisons (Millward Brown, ). Consistent with this report, Kalro et al () find that 68 per cent of all comparative ads are direct while 32 per cent are indirect. However, very few studies have looked at studying direct versus indirect comparative ads (e.g.…”

“…The widespread use of both direct and indirect comparisons and, sometimes, the simultaneous use of them by the same advertiser (Kalro et al , ) suggest that these different comparative formats (direct and indirect) aim at different consumer segments. Additionally, Soscia et al () show that not all customers belonging to a product target group perceive comparative advertising equivalently.…”

Effects of comparative claims in prescription drug direct-to-consumer advertising on consumer perceptions and recall

“…Previous research found that the majority of comparative ads use named claims (Kalro et al, 2010) and, as such, most comparative advertising research has focused on named comparative ads versus noncomparative ads. One study showed that when individuals think analytically about an ad, named comparisons result in greater perceived differences between the brands than unnamed comparisons (Kalro et al, 2013).…”