
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LATEST TECHNOLOGY IN ENGINEERING,
MANAGEMENT & APPLIED SCIENCE (IJLTEMAS)
ISSN 2278-2540 | DOI: 10.51583/IJLTEMAS | Volume XV, Issue II, February 2026
www.rsisinternational.org
But actual consumer behaviour generally operates differently. Promotion by one company tends to grab attention
for the whole product category and actually helps competing brands indirectly. This is known as the advertising
spillover effect. Consumers have seldom relied heavily upon one marketing message when making a purchase
decision. Those who see one advertisement are more inclined to look for information, look to multiple brands to
compare features. A campaign that advertises a new feature, can lead buyers to cross-check with other brands
for that benefit. Sahni (2016) (1) demonstrated that the search activity toward rival brands is typically higher for
advertisements, thus advertising may trigger the interest for the entire category, not just the aforementioned
brand.
This phenomenon is especially evidenced in competitive industries: Technology products, Beverages, Online
Services, Packaged Consumer goods. To the extent possible, in these markets advertising is also an educational
tool since it is meant to educate consumers to the usefulness of the category product. This means even businesses
with less advertising do see more demand. Consistently supporting this observation, Liu, Lopez and Zhu (2013)
(2) found that advertising by the leading beverage brands improved the total category consumption and also
provided benefits to other firms along with the advertiser in their studies in that ads also increased category
consumption. The development of digital media has reinforced the phenomena further. From online ads
consumers will often be able to find information quickly, visiting several websites with a different option or
searching for competing websites. They say rather than narrowing choice, advertising more often increases it.
Goldfarb and Tucker (2011) (3) again demonstrated that online advertising promotes exploration and information
search behaviour, indirectly introducing consumers to rival brands. These results are inconsistent with one of the
orthodox interpretations of advertising competition being simply aggressive. If such positive indirect effects
resulting from competitor promotion can be beneficial, companies may have to rethink the role of defensive
marketing and resources, and where to allocate resources. Instead of always responding with more robust
advertising, companies might be better off when a competitor generates awareness of their rivals. Thus, the
present study looks into the scenarios in which competitor advertising emerges as a source of competitive
advantage, rather than threat. The study helps to develop a more balanced picture of advertising that goes beyond
rivalry and is both in essence a source of competition and a second force that strengthens the competition (in
conjunction with co-operative behaviour) that drives the interaction of firms and consumers.
Role of Consumer Involvement in Advertising Spillover Effects
The impact of advertising spillover effects on consumers. It is the extent of attention and amount of time or
energy a consumer spends on determining their choice of product or service. The influence of competitor
advertising on the market differs hugely based on consumer casual or careful evaluation. Low-involvement
purchases (products in routine use). For everyday products like snacks, toothpaste, drinks and other items
frequently purchased, purchases tend to be swift and habitual. Well, people do not spend time comparing
specifications or looking for specific details as they already know the category. In this case, ad is primarily a
reminder that keeps a brand fresh in memory. Familiarity grows with repetition, so the consumer tends to
subconsciously pick the same brand from that list. Because the decision depends much more on habit than on
evaluation for market position, advertising from rival firms rarely has any noticeable benefits for competing
firms and spillover effects remain weak.
The ad simply encourages buyers to purchase instead of encouraging exploration. High-involvement purchases
(important or expensive products). Buyers have a different behaviour on products like smartphones, laptops,
insurance, educational programs, or automobiles. They rarely buy just after seeing an ad. Instead, the ad prompts
curiosity, so they collect information, read reviews and compare competing brands. In this latter sense also
promotion is a learning mechanism, explaining features and differences among available options to the
consumer. Even brands that never advertise increase their exposure because customers look to the other brands
as well. Consequently, spillover is strong and positive, increasing total market demand rather than exclusively
directing customers toward the advertiser. Medium-involvement purchases (consideration products). For goods
and services, whether that's stuff like clothing, cosmetics or choosing a restaurant, consumers think more than
they would for daily items but less than they will for expensive ones. Usually there are several options for them
before they select. A particular advertisement featuring one brand usually induces comparisons with similar ones,