1. Comparative advertising
Are Comparative Ads Persuasive?
Prepared by J. Scott Armstrong (details on him at jscottarmstrong.com).
Please inform Scott about errors and also make suggestions (armstrong@wharton.upenn.edu)
Scott has taken these slides from adprin.com, a site that he founded. That site contains interactive versions of these
slides, along with linked references, videos, and webcasts, all in PPT and PPTX format that you can download.

2. Is comparative advertising persuasive?
___ a) no ___ b) somewhat ___ c) yes
If yes, for what kinds of products?
Write your answer, then click for the evidence
Adapted from AdPrin.com 2

3. Evidence: Comparative advertising is very persuasive. It
increased purchase intentions by 22%-- based on 77
studies in the meta-analysis by Grewal (1997).
It is especially effective for:
1. Problem-solving products
2. High-involvement products
3. Products with small market share
Example: Macintosh computers vs. PCs with Microsoft

4. Based on this exercise, write a small application step for yourself,
and set a deadline, preferably within one week. If you are
working with someone else, share your application plan and the
results of your application.
• For example, evaluate two of your firm’s products against the
conditions and decide whether you would benefit from
comparative advertising.
Adapted from AdPrin.com