If it works, it works. Right?:
Perhaps it's the tight economy and the idea that the way to grow in a recession is at the expense of your rivals; maybe the presidential candidates have set the tone for TV advertising; or it could be the influence of those masterful and highly effective Mac vs. PC spots. Whatever the reasons, comparative ads -- some of them pretty aggressive -- are all the rage.
First there were the Dyson vs. Hoover ads, the Miller Lite vs. Bud
Light spots (remember the Dalmatian leaping off a truck?) and Huggies
vs. Pampers (delivering a literal brickbat with a spot showing a mom
diapering a brick).
Now Time Warner has said it will go after Verizon in its new
campaign, serving a counterpunch to its rival's claim that Fios
internet service is "10 times faster than cable." In a seeming homage
to the Apple ads, the Fios spots feature its installer humorously
interacting with a hapless cable installer.