Direct and Indirect Brand Comparisons, Message Framing and Gender Effects in Advertising

With increased competition between brands in many product categories, companies may often use brand comparisons. The purpose of this research was to survey UK consumers (where comparisons are legal and frequently used) to examine the impacts of direct and indirect comparative advertising, message framing, and gender for their individual and joint impact on consumer response to advertising for analgesic painkillers. Research shows that the type of brand comparison, how comparisons are framed (prevention vs promotion) and the gender of the target market has significant effects on consumer response to messages (measured through claim believability, brand beliefs, attitude certainty and perceived ad fairness). Differences in the impact of advertising are noticeable according to what particular response is measured. Managerial implications in terms of advertising competitive strategies are highlighted.