Comparative AdvertisingLessons Learned after Deregulation in Germany

Comparative advertising has been permitted in Germany in 2000. So far, advertisingpractitioners and researchers have neither reached a consensus on its effectiveness noron its usefulness for corporate communication. The authors conducted two studies: Oneto capture the opinions of advertisers on the new format and one to assess its effectiveness.In a survey questioning the 150 largest advertising agencies as well as the 150 biggestadvertising spenders in Germany both groups view the fuzzy legal framework and theunclear effects of comparative advertising as main obstacles for a broader usage of thenew format.[...]