Combine Positive with Negative Comparatives

When presenting your shopper with comparisons among alternative products or services, you can do it with a negative frame, a positive frame, or a combination of negative and positive. The negative frame is of the form “The other alternative is bad, and the one I’m recommending is good.” The positive frame is of the form “The other alternative is good, but the one I’m recommending is even better.”

     I recommend always accentuating the positive in comparatives.

• Negatively framed comparatives draw out more counterarguments from the consumer than do positive comparatives. Maybe it’s because we all sympathize with the underdog. Maybe it’s because the consumer was seriously considering that alternative, and now the ad or the salesperson is saying, “Boy, were you foolish for even thinking of getting such a bad choice.” The shopper argues back, even if only in their mind.
• 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 them. These effects then spread in the shopper’s mind so that they might end up doubting and resisting what the retailer says regarding other claims made by the retailer.

     But that’s not all to the story. Although negatively framed comparatives do have disadvantages, they also have an important advantage: The counterarguments and skeptical thinking result in the consumer thinking more about the ad or the sales conversation. And everything else being equal, when a person thinks more about the product choice recommended by the retailer, they’re more likely to buy what’s recommended.

      So here’s the advice for you: Accentuate the positives in all comparatives, but use a combination of positive and negative framings.