In 25 years, across 50 categories, user profiles for directly competing brands seldom differ

Uncles, Mark, Kennedy, Rachel, Nenycz-Thiel, Magda, Singh, Jaywant and Kwok, Simon (2012) In 25 years, across 50 categories, user profiles for directly competing brands seldom differ. Journal of Advertising Research, 52 (2), 252-261. (doi:10.2501/JAR-52-2-252-261).

Record type: Article

Abstract

It has been claimed that the user profiles of directly competing brands seldom differ. This surprises many in marketing, leading to some doubts about the validity of the claim. In the empirical generalization tradition, the authors:

re-examine the previous claim using newer data;

consider the scope of the claim in terms of brands in emerging markets, private labels, variants,
and composite segments; and

discuss potential boundary conditions.

Despite attempts by marketers to differentiate brands and provide customized features for distinct target audiences, the evidence of the current study confirms that user profiles of directly competing brands seldom differ.

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