A Comprehensive Study on the Influence of Brand Loyalty on Consumer Perception towards the Effectiveness of Comparative Advertising Strategies

Abstract

The present research investigates the impact of Brand Loyalty on consumers' perceptions towards comparative advertising. The objective is to comprehend the ways in which these variables assist or hinder the efficacy of comparative advertising, thereby enabling marketers to enhance their approaches to execute more focused campaigns. This study employs a quantitative design and is conducted across two product categories, each having a sponsoring and a compared brand. The purpose of the findings is to offer insights regarding the relation between brand loyalty and the consumer perception of comparative advertising. The findings of the study reveal that Brand loyalty towards the compared brand (measured as cognitive, affective and conative) is found to have a significant negative impact on consumer perception of the ads by sponsoring brand (measured across dimensions like informativeness, credibility, believability and likeability). Also, it is discovered that brand loyalty makes consumers perceive comparative ads as more offensive. However, the quantum of the relation differs across product categories.