OBSERVATIONS: Comparative Advertising in Magazines: Nature, Frequency and a Test of the 'Underdog' Hypothesis
Tahi J Gnepa California State University, Stanislaus
In a political context when a candidate compares his or her record with that of his or her opponent while stressing its weaknesses, it is known as negative advertising. Similar references to competition in the marketplace are known as comparative advertising. Despite the threat of costly legal challenges (Buchanan, 1985; Buchanan and Smithies, 1989), comparative advertising has grown more acceptable. This growth owes to the FTC's encouragement of the practice in 1971 and to the belief that comparative...