Comparative Advertising: Effect of Medium Change on Ad Format Effectiveness
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Comparative Advertising: Effect of Medium Change on Ad Format Effectiveness by Muneeb Ejaz A Thesis presented to The University of Guelph In partial fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Marketing and Consumer Studies Guelph, Ontario, Canada © Muneeb Ejaz, May, 2018 ABSTRACT COMPARATIVE ADVERTISING: EFFECT OF MEDIUM CHANGE ON AD FORMAT EFFECTIVENESS Muneeb Ejaz Advisors: University of Guelph, 2018 Dr. Vinay Kanetkar Previous research on comparative advertising indicates how brands may use advertising to compare and contrast their own products and services with those of a competing brand, for the purpose of furthering their rivalry and winning over consumers. This research investigates the effect of change in advertising medium (i.e. Print and Online) on memory recall and purchase intentions for direct and indirect comparative advertisements. Although the direction of the means was as proposed, the results indicate that there was not enough evidence to claim that direct comparative advertisements will have a greater memory recall than indirect and noncomparative advertisements. Further analysis indicates that the effect of comparative advertisements on both types of mediums was similar. More specifically, memory recall was found to be similar for direct comparative advertisements and indirect comparative advertisements when viewed on print format in contrast to online format. This research further indicates that a higher memory recall does not lead to a greater purchase intention. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The submission of my thesis marks the end of my two-year journey at the University of Guelph, which in the beginning seemed like a very difficult task but was made easy by the constant support of the faculty, administration and peers around me. First, I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Vinay Kanetkar, who guided me through the entire process of writing my thesis. From refining my topic to analyzing the results, I could always ask you for help when I was puzzled or confused. I am very thankful and consider myself extremely lucky to have been advised by you. Next, I would like to thank Dr. Towhidul Islam for his feedback and comments. It was through your guidance that I was able to conduct my analysis and refine my statistical concepts. I would also like to thank Dr. May Aung for providing me with invaluable comments on my thesis. Your constant support and words of encouragement allowed me to stay on track. Settling down at the university and progressing through my program would not have been possible if it were not for the administrative staff of the Marketing and Consumer Studies department. Thank you, Rita, Dominica, Alanna, Cori, Raquel and Melinda for helping me resolve my issues throughout this process. Last but certainly not the least, my parents, grandmother and sister have always been my biggest source of motivation, love and support. Thank you for always being there, through my highs and lows and for always believing in me. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Literature Review ............................................................................................... 6 2.1: Comparative Advertising ......................................................................................................... 6 2.2: Ad Format (Direct & Indirect Comparative Advertising) ......................................... 31 2.2.1: Direct Comparative advertising ................................................................................................ 31 2.2.2: Indirect Comparative advertising ............................................................................................ 32 2.2.3: Direct vs. indirect comparative advertising......................................................................... 32 2.3: Print vs. Online advertising ................................................................................................. 38 2.4: Summary of Literature Review and Research Gap ............................................ 44 Chapter 3: Hypotheses ......................................................................................................... 46 3.1: Direct vs. Indirect Advertisements ................................................................................... 46 3.2: Online vs. Print advertising ................................................................................................. 46 3.3: Purchase intention ................................................................................................................. 48 Chapter 4: Research Methodology ...................................................................................... 49 4.1: Design ........................................................................................................................................... 49 4.2: Sample .......................................................................................................................................... 49 4.3: Product and brand selection ................................................................................................... 50 4.4: Materials ...................................................................................................................................... 51 4.5: Procedure ..................................................................................................................................... 52 Chapter 5: Hypothesis Testing & Research Findings ................................................ 55 iv 5.1: Summary for Response Times (Memory Recall) ......................................................... 56 5.2: MANOVA Analysis .................................................................................................................... 60 5.2.1 Ad format ............................................................................................................................................. 61 5.2.2 Medium ................................................................................................................................................ 63 5.2.3: Purchase Intention ......................................................................................................................... 64 5.3: ANOVA Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 66 Chapter 6: Discussion ........................................................................................................... 69 Chapter 7: Limitations and Future Implications ........................................................ 71 7.1: Theoretical Contributions .................................................................................................... 72 7.2: Managerial Contribution ...................................................................................................... 73 References ................................................................................................................................ 74 Appendices ............................................................................................................................... 85 Appendix 1: Variable Description ............................................................................................. 85 Appendix 2: Frequencies for Independent Variables ......................................................... 87 Appendix 3: Multivariate Tests for Memory Recall ............................................................. 88 Appendix 4: Between-Subject Effects for Memory Recall ................................................. 89 Appendix 5: Frequencies for Purchase Intention ................................................................ 92 Appendix 6: Multivariate Tests for Purchase Intention .................................................... 93 Appendix 7: Between Subject-Effects for Purchase Intention ......................................... 94 Appendix 8: ANOVA Output .......................................................................................................... 95 Appendix 9: Literature Review Glossary................................................................................. 97 Appendix 10: Picture Advertisements Used ........................................................................ 121 Appendix 11: Survey Questions ................................................................................................ 125 v LIST OF TABLES Table 1- Table summarizing frequencies of participants across all six treatment conditions Table 2- Table summarizing means and standard deviations of response times for each question across all six treatment conditions Table 3- Table summarizing means and standard deviations of log transformed response times for each question across all six treatment conditions vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1- Results of two-way ANOVA vii Chapter 1: Introduction Brands may use advertising to further their rivalry or conflict with a competing brand by contrasting their own products and services, or with those of a competing brand on the basis of attributes, brand image of market position (Beard, 2010). This form of comparative advertising may turn into an ‘advertisement war’ where one advertiser responds to an implied or direct attack by a competitor. This research intends to explore the effect of different forms of comparative advertising on consumers’