The Relative Effectiveness of Comparative and Noncomparative Advertising: Evidence for Gender Differences in Information-Processing Strategies

Abstract

Drawing on gender differences in processing strategies and elaboration thresholds, this study showed that comparative advertising encouraged greater levels of brand-evaluation involvement among men but not among women. Instead, for women, attention-gaining comparative appeals encouraged inferences regarding the ad's manipulative intent. Furthermore, these gender differences in processing led to evaluative consequences. For men, the greater brand-evaluation involvement brought about by comparative appeals led to more favorable ad and brand evaluations and greater purchase intentions. For women, the heightened perceptions of manipulative intent brought about by comparative appeals resulted in negative ad and brand evaluations and reduced purchase intentions. Finally, the attribute alignability of competing products moderated the gender-dependent effectiveness of comparative and noncomparative appeals.