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On informative advertising and product differentiation

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  • Christou, C.
  • Vettas, N.

Abstract

We study informative advertising within a random-utility, non-localized competition model of product differentiation. In a symmetric equilibrium, advertisement is sub-optimal when product differentiation is small, and excessive otherwise. Increasing the number of firms may increase or decrease the market price. We emphasise that quasi-concavity of profits may fail, as firms may prefer a high price deviation, targeting consumers that only become informed about their product (a feature that, while present in earlier models of informative advertising, has not received enough attention). As product differentiation becomes small, a symmetric equilibrium does not exist.
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  • Christou, C. & Vettas, N., 2008. "On informative advertising and product differentiation," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 92-112, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:indorg:v:26:y:2008:i:1:p:92-112
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    Cited by:

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    2. Simon P. Anderson & André de Palma, 2013. "Shouting to Be Heard in Advertising," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 59(7), pages 1545-1556, July.
    3. Han, Bing & Chouinard, Hayley H., 2014. "Product quality, advertising intensity and market size," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 124(2), pages 215-218.
    4. Salvatore Piccolo & Piero Tedeschi & Giovanni Ursino, 2018. "Deceptive Advertising with Rational Buyers," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(3), pages 1291-1310, March.
    5. Sridhar Moorthy & Shervin Shahrokhi Tehrani, 2023. "Targeting Advertising Spending and Price on the Hotelling Line," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 42(6), pages 1057-1079, November.
    6. Shi, Hongyan & Liu, Yunchuan & Petruzzi, Nicholas C., 2019. "Informative advertising in a distribution channel," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 274(2), pages 773-787.
    7. Creane, Anthony, 2019. "A Note on Socially Insufficient Advertising in Tirole’s Duopoly Model," MPRA Paper 94572, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Creane, Anthony, 2020. "On the existence of the competitive equilibrium in Grossman and Shapiro (1984)," MPRA Paper 102074, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Levent Çelik, 2008. "Strategic Informative Advertising in a Horizontally Differentiated Duopoly," CERGE-EI Working Papers wp359, The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education - Economics Institute, Prague.
    10. Levent Çelik, 2008. "Monopoly Provision of Tune-ins," CERGE-EI Working Papers wp362, The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education - Economics Institute, Prague.
    11. Creane, Anthony & Manduchi, Agostino, 2022. "Informative advertising in monopolistically competitive markets," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    12. Wilson, Chris M., 2012. "Market frictions: A unified model of search costs and switching costs," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(6), pages 1070-1086.
    13. Levent Çelik, 2008. "Viewer Sampling and Quality Signaling in a Television Market," CERGE-EI Working Papers wp363, The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education - Economics Institute, Prague.
    14. Simon P. Anderson & Régis Renault, 2013. "The Advertising Mix for a Search Good," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 59(1), pages 69-83, April.
    15. Christou, C. & Vettas, N., 2008. "On informative advertising and product differentiation," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 92-112, January.
    16. Levent Celik, 2007. "Informative Advertising and Consumer Search in a Differentiated-Products Duopoly," CERGE-EI Working Papers wp332, The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education - Economics Institute, Prague.
    17. Guillem Roig, 2020. "Product Compatibility Hinders Pre‐Emptive Advertising," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 58(4), pages 1663-1688, October.
    18. Nathan Larson, 2013. "Niche products, generic products, and consumer search," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 52(2), pages 793-832, March.
    19. Wilson, Chris M, 2009. "Market Frictions: A Unified Model of Search and Switching Costs," MPRA Paper 13672, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Chris Wilson, 2009. "Market Frictions: A Unified Model of Search Costs and Switching Costs," Working Paper series, University of East Anglia, Centre for Competition Policy (CCP) 2009-03, Centre for Competition Policy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK..
    21. Anderson, Simon P. & Ciliberto, Federico & Liaukonyte, Jura, 2013. "Information content of advertising: Empirical evidence from the OTC analgesic industry," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 355-367.
    22. Gorkem Bostanci & Pinar Yildirim & Kinshuk Jerath, 2023. "Negative Advertising and Competitive Positioning," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 69(4), pages 2361-2382, April.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • L15 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Information and Product Quality

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