Effects of comparative advertising in high-and low-cognitive elaboration conditions

An experiment using print ads as experimental stimuli found that the relationship between consumer attitudes and comparative advertisement intensity (CAI) follows a rotated S-shaped pattern; in other words, it is a third-order curve with a local maximum at the minimum value of CAI, and also a local maximum at the approximately third quartile value of CAI. Consumer attitudes were most positive either when there was no brand comparison (the minimum condition) or when the comparison was moderately intense (the third quartile condition). The rotated S-shaped pattern was more pronounced in the high-cognitive elaboration (CE) condition than in the low-CE condition. One week after exposure to the ads, the rotated S-shaped pattern disappeared in both the high- and low-CE conditions, but the attitudes declined more in the high-CE condition than in the low-CE condition. Managerial implications are discussed. © 2006 American Academy of Advertising. All rights reserved.