Most of the time, competing on facts doesn’t work — better, faster, cheaper, etc. I think of this as just throwing features at a problem. You can’t carve out a new spot in someone’s head this way — what a good brand must do to succeed. But sometimes it gets people to act, anyway.
Here’s a potential example that I noticed on a billboard this week:
Walmart is clearly taking a jab at Amazon Prime here. As a Prime member, I’m reminded that I’m paying for that service. It also makes me question whether I really am getting the lowest prices. (It doesn’t matter whether I actually do, the mere act of questioning tarnished Amazon in my mind.)
I’m also immediately reminded of my recent Amazon experiences. These are increasingly negative: mostly issues with having a hard time finding sellers that look trustworthy, fake products, and fake reviews.
Would I switch from Amazon if I was completely satisfied with it? No. I probably wouldn’t even notice this ad. But when dissatisfied with my current solution, what then? A competitor with similar features becomes increasingly attractive.