Mine Is Better Than Yours
I understand the concept of competitive advertising, I just don't like it. Lately, aggressive positioning versus the competition is used in television commercials with increasing frequency, especially during prime time. A short time ago, Hyundai ran a commercial comparing one of its models to a BMW 5 Series. Does it really matter to potential Hyundai buyers how this model compares with a luxury car, some versions of which start at $58,000?
Similarly, Ford is running a series of commercials comparing the Edge—a midsize MAV, which recently ranked as the most appealing in its segment, according to the J.D. Power and Associates APEAL Study—to a Lexus RX 350 and a BMW X5. Again, is it relevant to prospective buyers that the Edge is marginally faster than a BMW or slightly quieter than a Lexus, which start at $45,900 and $37,400 respectively, when the Ford Edge starts at $25,320 and is not even in the midsize premium CUV segment?
The use of competitive references is particularly apparent in large pickup truck advertising. In a regional dealer association ad, Toyota features a buyer explaining how his previous truck, a Ford F-150, struggled to tow a boat and trailer. In an ad for the Titan, Nissan compares the utility of its truck's bed to the F-150. And Ford is running a commercial comparing the size of chassis bolts among competitors. Does one person's opinion about a Ford truck matter to some buyers? Will some truck shoppers buy a Titan because it has better cargo tie-down straps? Is someone going to buy an F-150 because it has bigger bolts? Not likely.
With 36 distinct brands selling more than 300 models to some 17 million buyers each year, the automotive market is ultra competitive. And with negative net pricing—which means that the prices of cars are coming down each year—the gloves have come off. Automakers and their advertisers have lost all sense of respect for their brands. My grandmother used to tell me: "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all," and I would offer her advice to today's advertisers. In my opinion, this type of advertising can have a negative effect on brand perception. Potential buyers may be offended by the idea that an automaker is coloring their perception about a particular competitive brand or model.
For example, a certain automaker is running a print ad comparing their mass-produced products—a crossover or CUV and a sports car—to the Porsche Cayenne and Boxster. The headline of the ad says, "Porsche makes great cars. These are just a little faster." The copy explains that the automaker's SUV delivers a "0-60 in under 7 (seconds)," and that it's "over a half-second faster than Porsche claims the Cayenne is." The automaker also claims that its two-seat sports car leaves "the Porsche Boxster almost a half-second behind." While these performance figures may be accurate, there are many things that this automaker's products do not have. The most important thing that it is missing is the brand reputation of its competitor.
