Comparative advertising: what it is and when it works in B2B

Comparative advertising puts your brand next to a competitor’s to show you’re the better choice.

You can name the competitor outright or make it clear enough who you mean. In Belgium and the rest of the EU it’s allowed, under strict conditions.

The verdict: in B2B, comparative advertising works as a level-headed, factual comparison, not as an attack.

Three rules carry most of the weight: don’t mislead, compare features that are really comparable, and never disparage the competitor.

What exactly is comparative advertising?

It compares your product or service directly with a competitor’s, to show where you score better.

A good comparative message does three things:

• Promotes something concrete: a product or service, not your brand in general.
• Names a specific advantage: one the competitor doesn’t have.
• Backs it up with evidence: facts, not opinion.

Comparative vs competitive advertising

Note the difference with general competitive advertising.

There you try to win people over to your brand as a whole, without a specific comparison. Comparative advertising is sharper: it puts two concrete things side by side.

For example, “unlike Tool X, our planning software includes a Dutch-language helpdesk” is comparative. It’s fine if it’s true and verifiable.

“The best planning tool” names nobody, so it’s general competitive advertising.

One instrument, not the strategy

Treat it as one instrument within your broader marketing strategy, not as the strategy itself.

The difference with regular advertising is explained in marketing versus advertising.

Is comparative advertising allowed in Belgium?

Yes. It’s legal in Belgium and the EU, but tightly regulated.

The legal framework

The framework sits in European directive 2006/114/EC on misleading and comparative advertising.

Belgium transposed it into the Code of Economic Law.

The conditions are in article VI.17, as law firm Stibbe summarises.

The thinking behind the rules is sound. A fair comparison helps buyers choose and pushes companies to innovate.

But that freedom stops the moment you start to mislead.

The six conditions

According to the European summary of the rules on comparative advertising, it’s only permitted if, among other things, it:

• is not misleading and does not create a false impression;
• compares goods or services meeting the same needs or intended for the same purpose;
• objectively compares one or more material, relevant, verifiable and representative features, possibly including price;
• creates no confusion between you and the competitor or between your brands;
• does not disparage the competitor or its brand or bring it into discredit;
• takes no unfair advantage of the reputation of a competitor’s trade mark or trade name.

Here’s the same test as a quick check before you publish a claim:

In short: compare apples with apples, stick to facts you can prove, and never attack anyone personally.

What Belgian courts have said

Two rulings show how the conditions work in practice.

Conditions are cumulative: Belgium’s Court of Cassation ruled on 15 September 2016 that an unobjective comparison is already unlawful. You don’t also need to prove consumers were misled, LexGo reports.

Criticism is allowed, within limits: the Brussels Court of Appeal ruled on 27 April 2022 that not every negative remark counts as disparaging. The comparison must be necessary, relevant and proportionate.

The same court said taste doesn’t decide lawfulness.

Whether an ad is in good or bad taste was irrelevant in that case, according to Stibbe.

What happens if you cross the line

You risk a complaint or legal proceedings from the competitor.

In B2B, where the market is small and everyone knows everyone, that’s reputational damage you don’t want.

When does comparative advertising work in B2B?

When your buyer is already weighing options. That’s most of the B2B buying process.

Your buyer compares anyway

In B2B, hardly anyone decides on impulse.

A buyer reads, compares and consults for weeks or months, with several people. So they expect you to put your product next to the alternatives.

Our map of the B2B buyer journey shows where those comparisons happen.

The consideration stage

Comparative advertising pays off most in the consideration stage of the marketing funnel.

That’s the moment your buyer knows they need a solution and is weighing the options.

Two formats that work

In practice, two formats work best.

Comparison pages: a page that lines up your offer against a competitor’s. It covers points such as features, approach, pricing model, and who it suits.

The facts come out of a thorough competitive audit.

Our guide to comparison pages shows the layout.

“vs” content: articles in the style of “solution A vs solution B” that make the trade-off your buyer is making anyway.

Your buyer literally searches for this, such as “[tool A] vs [tool B] pricing”, so you capture warm search intent.

It ties in with how you build demand generation: you’re present when demand arises.

Quality of traffic, not reach

The win isn’t in reach, but in the quality of the traffic.

Someone typing “your solution vs competitor” is close to a decision. That’s exactly the visitor you want in your B2B content funnel.

How to rank those pages is covered in comparison pages for SEO.

Comparisons in AI answers

Buyers now also ask AI tools to compare suppliers. Here’s what that looks like in Perplexity:

Perplexity (17 October 2026): 11 sources, led by vendor blogs from Salesforce, Attio and Softr.

Vendor comparison pages show up as sources.

So a fair comparison page can also feed AI answers, as our piece on comparison pages and AI citations explains.

Why does an honest comparison beat tearing someone down?

Because your B2B buyer checks every claim.

This is the most important advice in this article: in B2B the factual approach beats the attack.

Your buyer checks

Your buyer isn’t an impulse buyer. They ask for proof and talk to your competitor too.

One exaggeration that doesn’t hold up, and you lose the trust of the whole buying group.

Three marks of a strong comparison page

A strong comparison page does three things:

• It admits where the competitor is better. That makes the rest of your claims credible.
• It backs up every claim. Numbers, a case, a verifiable fact.
• It helps the buyer choose, even when you’re not the right fit.

Anyone who never concedes a downside isn’t believed. And clarity about fit is exactly what attracts the right customers.

Our experience: alternative and versus pages work well when they’re fair and data-based.

We build them from strengths and weaknesses in public reviews, in a neutral tone, without bashing.

Use public reviews as evidence

Public review profiles give you outside evidence that isn’t yours. Here’s one:

A public G2 profile, October 2026: rating, review count and categories in one grid a buyer can check without a sales call.

Ratings and review themes like these are verifiable.

That’s what the law asks for, and what your buyer trusts.

More on using them in G2 and Capterra reviews for B2B.

Watch out: a page that only praises yourself convinces nobody.

In our experience, Google also gives little weight to pure self-praise.

Legal and convincing at once

Mind the legal side: a comparison that disparages or misleads falls outside directive 2006/114/EC.

A fair, evidence-based comparison stays within the lines and convinces your buyer. Two birds, one stone.

Can you use a competitor’s name in your ads?

Often in keywords, rarely in the ad text.

Google’s trademark policy doesn’t restrict trademarks used as keywords. But it may restrict a competitor’s trademark in the ad text itself, after a complaint by the owner.

It also restricts trademarks used in a “confusing, deceptive, or misleading way”.

So bidding on a competitor’s name is one decision, and naming them in your ad copy is another.

Our article on competitor bidding on your brand name covers both sides.

Check what competitors claim first

Before you compare, see what your competitors already say about themselves. The Meta Ad Library shows every active ad, no login needed:

The public Meta Ad Library search page, United States settings, checked 18 October 2026. No login needed.

Their claims tell you which comparison your buyer has already seen.

Our guide to the Meta Ads Library shows how to search it.

Google Ads competitor analysis does the same for search.

What are the risks, and where does it go wrong?

Comparative advertising comes with a few pitfalls you’re better off knowing in advance.

Unprovable claims

If you say you’re faster, cheaper or better, you have to be able to show it.

If you can’t, drop the claim.

Making the competitor bigger

Compare yourself with a far better-known brand, and you may hand them free attention.

Compare with a far smaller one, and you can look like you’re bullying the small player.

Only compare if it helps you.

Confusion

If it’s unclear which brand is yours, you break the rules and you lose your buyer.

Always make crystal clear what your offer is.

A sharp positioning statement helps here.

Steering on the wrong number

A vs page that pulls lots of visits but produces no enquiries isn’t a success.

Measure in leads and revenue, not in pageviews.

Frequently asked questions

Is comparative advertising allowed in Belgium?

Yes, but regulated. The framework sits in EU directive 2006/114/EC: the comparison must not mislead, must compare objectively comparable features and must not disparage or confuse the competitor.

Can I name my competitor?

You can, as long as the comparison is objective and verifiable and you do not smear the competitor. In B2B, a level-headed tone is usually wiser than a direct attack.

Does a comparison page work for B2B?

Often it does. Your buyer is comparing anyway. A factual comparison page captures that search intent and helps them choose, which delivers warm leads.

What is the difference with competitive advertising?

Comparative advertising puts two concrete products side by side. Competitive advertising promotes your brand in general, without a specific comparison.

How do I measure whether it works?

Not in visitors, but in enquiries and revenue. A vs page succeeds if it brings in qualified leads.

Can I bid on a competitor’s brand name in Google Ads?

Google doesn’t restrict trademarks as keywords. Using the name in the ad text itself can be restricted after a complaint, so check before you write the copy.

Want to get this right?

Comparative advertising works in B2B when it’s fair, evidence-based and legally sound.

It should steer on customers, not on numbers that merely look good. A good comparison page helps your buyer choose and delivers warm leads, without tearing anyone down.

Wondering whether a comparison page or vs content fits your strategy? Contact us and we’ll look at which comparison your buyers are already searching for.