Frame with Phrasing

People who have never before wagered online are more likely to start if told it’s “gaming” rather than “gambling,” according to studies at Northwestern University and Cornell University. Marijuana seems less legitimate when included with the names of hard drugs, while more legitimate when grouped with medical treatments. Botox seems less safe when shown on a list of poisons and more safe in the context of a menu of treatments such as skin peels.
     How we frame a single offering to shoppers significantly influences the item’s marketability. Moreover, researchers at Babson College and Western Kentucky University find that how we frame a comparison of a difference between items makes a difference.
     Our phrasing could be saying to the prospective customer, “The item I am suggesting to you is better than the alternative you’ve been considering.” Or our phrasing might be communicating, “The alternative you’ve been considering is not as good as the item I’m suggesting to you.” It’s a positive framing versus a negative framing.

• When presented the comparison as a positive frame, shoppers tend to analyze the product features more carefully than when a negative frame is used. If your good reputation as a retailer has not been firmly established, you’re more likely to influence the shopper by using a positive instead of a negative framing. 
• Negatively framed comparatives tend to make the shopper more skeptical of the retailer. The shopper starts thinking that the retailer is biased and is trying to manipulate him. These effects then spread in the shopper’s mind so that he might end up doubting and resisting other claims by the retailer. 
• When presented the comparison as a negative frame rather than as a positive frame, shoppers become more likely to consider the quality of the store surroundings, how much expertise the salesperson seems to have, and how positive a mood they find themselves in. They’ll still look at the lists of features and compare the prices, but these will carry somewhat less importance when there has been negative framing. 

     Or we could say to the consumer, “What I’m suggesting to you is just as good as the alternative you’ve been considering. It’s not that one is better or one is worse.”
     Are there situations where this phrasing is best?
     Yes, say researchers from Indiana University, Northwestern University, and New York University. The situations are ones where the shopper believes the decision is risky.

Click below for more: 
Present Low-Risk Comparisons for the Nervous 
Combine Positive with Negative Comparatives