Ads and the art of punching down

The claws are out this summer and brands are at each other's throats. First, there was the controversial boAt vs Apple ad that brought "fanboys" out of the woodwork. 
Then there was the Britannia Jim Jam Pops ad with a not-so-sweet jibe at rival Oreo.

In the true spirit of the election season, the BJP and INDIA Bloc couldn't resist taking a few swipes at each other.

When McDonald's was grilled during the fake cheese controversy, Amul popped off on companies exploiting consumer trust.

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"The advertising landscape is witnessing 'Rival Rivalry' in all its glory! From witty comparisons to playful one-upmanship, it's a full-fledged punch-up designed to grab the consumers' attention," says Kruthika Ravindran, Director Key Accounts, TheSmallBigIdea. 

When it comes to humour, the general rule of thumb is to punch up. What about ads? Brands have been punching down from time immemorial and with some neat benefits to boot.

"This strategy is not new, rather a time-tested method designed to get attention in a crowded marketplace," notes Surbhi Arora, Senior Strategy Director, DDB Tribal.

Such ads were called "knocking" before the more respectable term "comparative advertising" came along, according to Fred Breard's book titled Comparative Advertising: History, Theory, and Practice.

In 1962, Avis Rent a Car System famously went after rival Hertz, who was the market number one: "When you're only No. 2, you try harder."

The campaign was lauded for its out-of-the-box, self-deprecatory style, until Hertz decided to get back with a zinger of their own.

India too has seen its share of brand wars. "In the 1980s, Surf Excel’s Lalitaji shaded Hema, Rekha, Jaya aur Sushma, while Complan took consistent jabs at Horlicks in the 2000s. Blunt, unapologetic, and in line with their ambition of establishing themselves as the superior I’d say," says Arora.

"In India, Captain Cook salt went against Tata Salt," recalls Ambi M G Parameswaran, brand strategist and founder of Brand-Building.com.

In the 90s and the early 2000s, India was also rocked by its own cola wars with Pepsi and Coca-Cola going at each other. A year ago, Reckitt and HUL's domestic cleaning products, Harpic and Domex, were locked in a similar battle, which didn't end too well for the latter. The Delhi HC ended up restraining HUL from publishing Domex ads that were found to be disparaging towards Reckitt's Harpic.

Titus Upputuru, Founder of The Titus Upputuru Company, remembers working on Sprite's "Seedhi baat, no bakwaas" campaign that took the fizz out of Pepsi's Youngistan ad with Ranbir Kapoor. "As a creative team working on Sprite then, we just couldn’t help but go back to the marketing team with a spoof of the same," he recalls.

"We did it because Sprite was always busting any pretence. It was a low-hanging fruit we couldn’t resist biting into."

There's always the question of "why?" Why do brands occasionally punch down?

Conflict breeds attention

Everyone loves a bit of drama. So when brands lock horns, consumers pay attention. "The advertising world's banked on it for decades," says Talented's Ruhin Chatterjee about conflicts and their many merits in the adworld.

Comparative ads can also help the brand pit itself against the dominant player in the market and elevate itself in the eyes of the consumer. 

"Until they can get the desired spotlight to turn towards them, the real opportunity that exists for many brands is to barge into where the light is already shining - and it's usually shining on a leading brand in their category," he says, hinting at boAt's ambitious takedown of Apple AirPods recently.

Ad buffs may recall that Apple was once in boAt's shoes decades ago when it launched a missive against market leader IBM.

Known as the greatest ad of all time, Apple's 1984 Super Bowl ad not only stole the thunder from the evening's winners but also changed the trajectory of Apple as a brand. "They can announce rivals and turn challenger brands into legends," notes Chatterjee.



"Emerging brands have it harder today, be it the competition or the consumer attention. So it’s only fair for them to make bold moves, right?" says Arora.

"It can elevate a good product that shines next to default category choices. It can announce rivals and turn challenger brands into legends. Comparative advertising can turn the tide for a brand, as long as they find a smart reason to do it, and great execution follows," adds Chatterjee.

It's also the question of recall. Comparative ads are often combative, which creates a lot of buzz for the brand landing the punch.

"You get written about. The brands get publicity and get discussed in forums. Goes without saying that it also gets a further boost to the original brand," points out Upputuru.

"If they aren’t gaining market share, they are undeniably capturing mind share and that’s something. The heightened level of engagement that follows these confrontational ads tends to linger on. It sparks curiosity and debate that draws people in, and they get to do their favourite thing – opine! We all know that’s a primer for virality," highlights Arora.

The ad wars between two brands can also help them maintain a duopoly, according to Chatterjee. "The warring between the two can make it difficult for a third brand to be memorable. Those are otherwise difficult, time-consuming and resource-draining things to achieve."

Be ready to face the music

As always, high rewards often entail high risks and things aren't much different in the ad world.

When used well, the spike of attention can lead to disproportionate rewards, says Chatterjee who also warns against the many risks. "This is a 'high risk, high reward' way of doing things. The consequences could range all the way from unintentionally making a great ad for the brand you wanted to take on, to saying something so destructive in search of incremental audiences that it puts off your existing fans."

"When you name a competitor, you have to be ready to face the music. The big player will take you to court and challenge your claims. That is what happened when Sebamed took on HUL brands. It is to be noted that Unilever used a similar ‘pH’ story in the UK to promote Dove as the mildest soap," notes Ambi.

Risk getting trolled or risk getting sued by a litigious rival; what's inevitable is controversies, which may also be the best part of creating a combative ad.

Vikash Chemjong, CCO, Cheil India, explains, "I think the intent is to create more controversies and conversation and not less. And that’s worth its weight in gold, especially for the underdog."

Controversies are catalysts of hype, believes Arora."...and if timed strategically - controversies can extend the impact of these ads beyond their initial release," she emphasises.

Make each punch count

The gloves are off in the world of comparative ads; however, a few dos and don'ts can maintain sportsmanship, and perhaps, also help in avoiding a lawsuit or two.
Back all your tall claims, and be ready with all the data, says Ambi, if you don't want ASCI at your door.

"If you are unsure, play safe; don’t name the big brand. If you want to name the competitor,  be clear that you have proof of what you are saying. B-Natural went against Tropicana and Real because B-Natural was made from pure juice and not from concentrate," he points out.

"Hurt the brand and not its people," says Arora, hinting at the recent boAt controversy. "Community-led brands like Apple will always have an army to defend them. Calling out a brand for its messages or actions is fair game, hating on human nature to follow brands isn’t."

Chatterjee agrees, "We're at a stage where this category of ads don't just take a dig at other brands, they take a dig at the people who buy those brands, and from there, it becomes difficult to sharply point out what's off limits."

There's also the matter of being nice and how far the brand can push things. "A harmless joke is fine. As the brands shouldn’t take themselves too seriously. But we should clearly stay away from any racist, sexist, or anti-community kind of commentary," says Upputuru.

"It's all a gamble. A funny swipe can create buzz, but a nasty one can tarnish a brand's image. The key is to keep it clean! The best way to keep it tasteful is to focus on your own strengths. Showcase why your brand is better, not why they're worse. Think playful one-upmanship, not mudslinging. After all, the goal is to win consumers over, not take down the competition," adds Ravindran. 

"There is a certain unsaid decorum that everyone should follow. Something to do with words like respect, taste and decency. But then we have to keep in mind, that sometimes, consumers are fed the ad that they want to see. Or shall we say, deserve to see. Sad times. Desperate times…," rues Chemjong.

Ultimately, if brands have chosen to pursue that path, it only makes sense to fully commit to it.

"Make each punch count. It may be a long way to a knockout, but each blow should be well-calculated and effective in highlighting one’s strengths. A clear meaningful outcome is a must whether it is an increase in sales, market share or voter share or brand perception," concludes Arora.

With inputs by Tanzila Shaikh.