Possibly in view of the upcoming television upfronts (digital, cable and broadcast) the revival of attack ads became a topic covered by The Wall Street Journal, which explained that the practice started in the early 20th century with tobacco ads, and continued with confrontational ads from Pepsi Cola (challenging Coca Cola) and Hertz vs. Avis car rentals in the 70s.
It is now common for a variety of brands, from detergents to medications and technology — Apple has been sniping at Microsoft for decades.
The Journal cites the latest ad brawl between Vrbo, the Expedia Group’s own home rental company, and Airbnb. The paper also pointed out how the practice is now expanding worldwide, for instance in China between fast food franchises McDonald’s and KFC, and noted that in Europe the use of attack ads is more heavily regulated than in the U.S.
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