8 ad headlines that sneakily ding the competition

When it comes to advertisements, making direct comparisons between competing products can be tricky

Sweet 'n Low
(Image credit: (CC BY: Grandpa & Grandma T))

Companies naturally want to convince people that their products are better than the competition. But when it comes to advertisements, making direct comparisons between competing products can be tricky. Ad campaigns must step lightly around potential issues with the verifiability of claims, liability, and trademark laws. For example, while it's OK to say your product is the "best," it's not OK to say it's "better" than a specific competitor unless you have clear evidence on exactly what makes it better. Attempts to play on trademarked phrases can also backfire. McDonald's once sued Burger King over an ad for the Whopper that read "It's not just Big, Mac" and won by showing that some people were confused by the ad into thinking that they could get a Big Mac at Burger King. To get in a good jab at the competition, you've got to be indirect, but not so indirect that your audience won't pick up on it at all. Here are eight ad taglines that found a way to sneakily ding the competition.

1. Sweet'N Low: "For millions of people, there's just no equal"

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Arika Okrent

Arika Okrent is editor-at-large at TheWeek.com and a frequent contributor to Mental Floss. She is the author of In the Land of Invented Languages, a history of the attempt to build a better language. She holds a doctorate in linguistics and a first-level certification in Klingon. Follow her on Twitter.