Name-calling
I remember watching commercials as a kid, wondering about this enigmatic “other leading brand” to which products were always being compared. It showed up everywhere, contending in categories from detergent to toothpaste, but each time cloaked in secrecy. Sometimes, there was even fake packaging designed to represent this nameless, generic, abstract stand-in for the competition. It baffled me: Why not identify this supposedly inferior product? It would certainly make the advertiser’s claims more believable. (The fact that I gave this much thought to TV ads while still in kidhood was probably not a healthy sign.) When I asked my mom why no one just came out and said who they were talking about, her reply only added to the mystery. “It’s against the law,” she said.
As I grew older and slowly realized that my mom, despite her vast wisdom in most other areas, was not an expert in either marketing or jurisprudence, I also began to notice the occasional commerical that actually did call out the competition by name. And while it did indeed bolster the credibility of the product being promoted, as my younger self suspected it would, I found myself missing the air of intrigue that surrounded my inscrutable childhood friend, “other leading brand.” Without him, the more fact-based commercials felt, despite their enhanced authority, a little crass. Such directness, such brutal honesty, seemed to be in questionable taste, somehow. Improper, even.
Well, that was nothing, apparently. According to a recent article in Advertising Age, attack ads are on the rise, employing sharper comparisons and eliciting testier responses. The gloves are off, they declare, and the approach is working. Companies like Campbell Soup and Dominos have reported that comparative attack ads that they ran during the last year led directly to sales gains. Still, there’s some disagreement as to the effectiveness and consequences of this take-no-prisoners mindset. Experts express concern that brands are being damaged and entire categories are being compromised. So, for those tempted to embrace this latest trend and start bashing their rivals, Ad Age has some advice. Their first suggestion? Don’t name your competitor. (Photograph licensed by Sean Fletcher and Isabel Reichert under Creative Commons.)