Comparative Ad Negativity Valence

What it measures

Five semantic differential items assess the extent to which a person perceives an advertisement as hostile, derogatory, and damaging toward one or more competitors.

Response format

7-point semantic differential

Scale items

• The ad was hostile / gentle to one or more competitors.
• The ad derogated / did not derogate one or more competitors.
• The ad criticized / complimented one or more competitors.
• The ad tried to damage / did not try to damage the reputation of one or more competitors.
• The ad put down / praised one or more competitors.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Modified from Jain (1993). Alphas .81–.94 across three studies. Items present both negative (hostile, derogates) and positive poles; verify intended scoring direction against the original article.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Jain, S. P., & Posavac, S. S. (2004). Valenced comparisons. Journal of Marketing Research, 41(1), 46–58.

Keywords