I think that concept has been a staple of advertising/marketing for at least the past 60 to 75 years. The coincidence in reading your question is that when I was a young child, I asked my mother something similar when I noticed how one company compared its products to another's. I asked, "Can't they get in trouble for saying theirs is better?" She explained to me that before airing such commercials, companies had to pay their competitors for use of the name and/or images of products. I guess that makes it a win-win. ~
No, not nearly that long. Think 70s. Things were better when advertisers could not list competitors by name or show their registered trademarks in ads. Things were better when prescription medication could not be advertised on TV; I think it was always allowed in print media (but not sure). Things were better when feminine products weren't advertised on TV and I personally would like to not see condoms and sex toys/sex enhancers advertised on TV. Of course, advertising is part of why people like me don't watch broadcast TV. The other part is the dumbed down content, aka reality TV.
I have to agree with excon there. It shows me that company isn't so great that they have to bash the competition and I would more than likely do business with one of the competitors.
Randy D 