This year too, Subway, the international sandwich chain, wrote to Domino’s, the pizza company, demanding it retract adverts that criticised Subway’s sandwiches. Domino’s chief executive replied in front of cameras thrusting Subway’s letter into one of Domino’s sandwich ovens where it burst into flames.
Comparative ‘attack’ advertising and PR is on the increase. Its use is growing as recession makes it harder for retailers and brands to compete for their customers’ smaller spend. And if customers and potential customers don’t know the difference between one brand and the next their task is that much harder.
Some marketers avoid comparative marketing. They see it as a black art: negative marketing, bad practice. They prefer to sing the praises of their products in isolation and call that positive marketing. But everything is relative. If prospects don’t know your brand is better than the other brands they know, or know what is better about it, or how much better it is, then they’ll turn to those who help them make an informed choice. If you don’t tell them, they’ll assume you have nothing to tell. Life is too short as a consumer to work out what brands or retailers meant to say.
Comparative advertising is more common in the US than in Europe and the UK. But many UK brands have used it with success. Its use is growing because - done well - it works, helping to convince prospects that the grass is truly greener elsewhere.
Attack ads that savage or smear other brands can backfire. No one wants an aggressive bully for a supplier. If they go too far you may end up spending your time and profits in the courts.
Attacks can boomerang and lead to counter-attacks, if not thought through. Campbell’s launched a campaign in 2008 claiming that Progresso, a rival soup brand used monosodium glutamate (MSG). Progresso counter-attacked with an ad that revealed that Campbell’s also used MSG, and both brands suffered a loss of confidence.
But some of the most successful adverts don’t name names, and don’t need to. Like the Kingspan ad everyone knows who they meant. McDonald’s does not name Starbucks in its witty McCafé ads promoting its new latte and cappuccino. But who else could it be talking about on its engaging Unsnobbycoffee.com website?
If customers and prospects can’t tell your brand from another, or can’t think why they should buy from you rather than your rival, you have a problem. You have neglected your marketing and you’d better start fixing it before it’s too late.
There is a place for good ‘my brand’ advertising and good comparative advertising, and there is a case for using both. There is no place for poor marketing and weak advertising. Underpinning all marketing is the understanding that good isn’t worth much if everything else is better.
Use the links below to view or download Marketing Matters columns from earlier this year or click here to look at columns from earlier years.
