A friend emailed this ad to me. I must confess that I had not seen it earlier. I thus cannot tell you whether it was released in the media at all or for that matter whether such an ad was ever created by Durex, a brand of condoms. Yet, the ad has been designed professionally enough for me to believe that this is a genuine one. It has no visuals, a lot of empty space and very little but very incisive copy. The blank space draws your attention and then the words take over. The copy simply says ? To all those who use our competitors? products ? Happy Father?s Day.

The copy is remarkably vicious and brilliantly civil. And quite intelligently makes the point about safety and reliability of Durex. For competing brands of condom, this is a very powerful hit.

This reminded me of an equally striking competitive communication that I had come across in a shop in Darjeeling. This was a shop that sold expensive Tibetan artefacts. It displayed a message prominently on the glass shelf: ?If you find prices in our competitors shop lower, do not be surprised. They know what their goods are worth.?

In comparison, the fight between Pepsi and Coca-Cola through advertising was often in bad taste. Remember the wonderfully crafted Coke ad with Hrithik Roshan. The then heartthrob of the nation gets asked by the villagers to join them for a dance. The tune being played was naturally from Kaho Na? After seeing him dance so well, the sarpanch suggests that Hrithik should try to get into films. Pepsi countered rather viciously. There was that infamous Shah Rukh Khan ad which featured the boy with the braces on his teeth. Arguably, Coke won the game, set and the match.

The last breed of competitive battle is possibly the most subtle. Hutch managed to increase the price of Pugs in the country, thanks to its hugely successful campaign featuring a member of that loving breed. Not only is the campaign pleasing to watch, perhaps far more critically, it also makes the point very subtly but very strongly that Hutch has a wide network.

AirTel did respond with the glider ad, making the same point. The couple crashlands in a jungle. Her AirTel works; she calls her Dad to say that she will be home late. This has now been replaced by the ad featuring a young girl in a boarding school. The message that both have chosen to communicate is the same: width of network. The fight is on creative terms. And thankfully there is no ugly attempt of one-upmanship involved.

The million-dollar question is, is there any real marketing benefit? The answer would obviously depend on how the consumers respond to the squabbles. It is possibly beyond debate that consumers prefer it to inane canvassing. It is perhaps like watching a cockfight. You could not care less who won.