Product Categorization and Inference Making: Some Implications for Comparative Advertising

Abstract

A categorization approach to inference making was used to determine when the effects of comparative advertising would differ from those of noncomparative advertising. Comparative advertising led to different responses for experts relative to either product class or product type level noncomparative advertising, but for novices only when the noncomparative ad referred to a broad product class. These differences were for measures of similarity, distinctiveness, and ad informativeness. Mean values on brand attitudes were not differentially influenced by comparative versus noncomparative advertising, though comparative advertising resulted in more polarized attitudes. These results were interpreted within the categorization framework and point to the general usefulness of this conceptual framework.