Comparative advertising in Lebanon : where to? : legal, professional and consumer perspectives

Abstract

The remarkable success of comparative advertising especially in Lebanon has sparked considerable discussions over the relative qualities and risks. Comparative advertising in the Middle East, European Union and United States has shown application of the rules and regulations of the governments through respecting the law of the community via its influence on consumer purchasing behavior which goes along with hypothesis one. This study has explored the position of the Lebanese market regarding comparative advertising through taking the opinions of some legal experts and practitioners in the field. Correlating legal professional and consumers’ opinions proved the fact that having a clear advertising law will make the practice more accepted to consumer, aligning with hypothesis two. The assessment of comparative advertising was done through document analysis of publicly available literature review and primary data collection through a survey conducted on Lebanese consumers and interviews on marketers and legal experts. The results were drawn from comparative analyses. These results were shown in comparative tables which mostly fit the objective of this research study for understanding comparative advertising theories and practices in Lebanon, to come up with recommendations and scopes for further researches directing the Lebanese market to meet the right and legalized standards in their activities. What gives a special flavor to this thesis are the examples of humorous comparative ads from Lebanon and the world and the open end highlighting the value of ethics in business and more specifically in comparative advertising.