Brand competition can shape consumers’ views of a corporation and its products. Often, in a rivalry, one brand will try to show that it is better than the other. A good example of this is Apple’s advertising comparing the Mac with the PC. In these ads, Apple set up the two products and positioned the Mac as the better option. In this kind of approach, a company may carve out a place for itself in the consumer’s mind. And as customers start to favor one brand over another, they may well become more loyal to it. Consumers’ perceptions of a brand and its associations can shape their view of a product and of the brand itself (Babin & Harris, 2022).
Another approach is for a brand to acknowledge something good about its competitor. Rather than pointing out the other brand’s weaknesses, it points to its strengths. In this way, the brand giving the compliment could come across as more confident, respectful and trustworthy. Consumers might not expect a brand to say anything good about its rival. And so such a message could well cut across much of what they normally see in advertising. In this way, positive perceptions of a competitor could shape a consumer’s view of a brand and potentially influence their decision to buy (Babin & Harris, 2022).
One reason consumers might well respond positively to a compliment of its competitor is through automatic processing. Often, when consumers see an ad or a marketing message, they don’t process it deeply. Rather, they form an impression of it with little effort. This is where thin-slice theory comes in. On limited information, people can form opinions of others. A consumer might see a company praising its competitor. In an instant, he or she could view that company as confident, sincere or friendly. Such quick impressions could shape their view of the brand, without them needing to spend much time thinking about the message (Babin & Harris, 2022).
But sometimes a brand’s praise of its competitor won’t work. The compliment needs to be genuine and consistent with the brand image of the company. Consumers might well suspect the compliment was simply a way of grabbing attention. And they could question the company’s motives. There is even a risk that consumers could become more interested in a competitor’s product if the brand praises it. Much depends on consumers’ views of the messages. Depending on their attitudes toward the brand, their past experiences with it and other brands, consumers may well interpret the same message in different ways (Babin & Harris, 2022).
In general, consumer reactions to traditional rivalry and praise of a competitor will differ. With traditional rivalry, the brand is setting itself apart from that of the competitor. With praise of the competitor, the brand is more likely to build up a positive and respectful image of itself. It is important for companies to consider how their messages might be received by consumers. Depending on that reception, the messages could affect consumers’ attitude toward the brand, their loyalty to it and whether they buy it again.
Reference
Babin, B. J., & Harris, E. G. (2022). CB (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.
