Marketing leans on attacking or mocking competitors instead of making a positive case for its own value.
Attacking competitors spends your airtime on their name and makes you look small. Fair, factual comparison is fine; trash talk isn't a strategy.
Hopkins: "To attack a rival is never good advertising. Don't point out others' faults." And: "Show a bright side, the happy and attractive side, and not the dark and uninviting side of things."
• Comparison pages built on digs; ad copy that names the rival more than the brand.
Owned — "Why [competitor] fails" pages as the main content strategy.
Earned — Public sniping on social.
Paid — Conquesting ads that only insult.
Analytics — Conquest campaigns with high CPC and low conversion.
AI — AI prompted to "write why we're better than X."
• Keep comparisons factual and fair, and lead with your own strengths.
• Show the bright side of your product.
