RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 In 25 Years, Across 50 Categories, User Profiles for Directly Competing Brands Seldom Differ JF Journal of Advertising Research JO J Advert Res FD WARC SP 252 OP 261 DO 10.2501/JAR-52-2-252-261 VO 52 IS 2 A1 Mark Uncles A1 Rachel Kennedy A1 Magda Nenycz-Thiel A1 Jaywant Singh A1 Simon Kwok YR 2012 UL http://www.journalofadvertisingresearch.com/content/52/2/252.abstract AB It has been claimed that the user profiles of directly competing brands seldom differ. This surprises many in marketing, leading to some doubts about the validity of the claim. In the empirical generalization tradition, the authors: re-examine the previous claim using newer data;consider the scope of the claim in terms of brands in emerging markets, private labels, variants, and composite segments; anddiscuss potential boundary conditions. Despite attempts by marketers to differentiate brands and provide customized features for distinct target audiences, the evidence of the current study confirms that user profiles of directly competing brands seldom differ.