Brand Extension Evaluation Research Articles

Exploring the Power of Brand Extension in Museums. Insights from the Louvre Abu Dhabi

This study investigates the Louvre Abu Dhabi as a brand extension of the Louvre in France, focusing on factors influencing brand extension attitude and its impact on visit intention. Data from 934 questionnaires are analyzed using partial least squares in a multi-group study. The research aims to enrich discourse on tourist brands by examining brand image, perceived fit, and perceived brand localness within the context of the Louvre Abu Dhabi project. Results suggest a potential correlation between positive brand extension evaluation and increased future visits, highlighting practical implications for brand management in cultural tourism. The study also raises theoretical questions regarding global marketing research, emphasizing the need for an integrative approach to understand brand extension attitude’s role in enhancing visit intention.

Centrality of sensory attributes in brand extension evaluations

PurposeCompared to typical brand extension research focusing on functional and symbolic attributes, this paper aims to examine brand extensions based on a brand's primary sensory attributes. Specifically, this paper investigates the interplay between brand equity and primary sensory attributes in shaping consumers' evaluations of brand extensions.Design/methodology/approachThis study investigates the impact of primary or central sensory attributes on brand extension evaluations for brands with differing brand equities. The authors conducted two experiments preceded by seven pretests to develop and validate the stimulus materials. The authors aim to contribute to understanding how sensory and brand-related factors influence consumers' evaluations of brand extensions.FindingsIn these experiments, the authors find that a parent brand's central/dominant sensory attribute allows the parent brand to successfully extend into functionally unrelated categories. For example, Dove’s central attribute of touch allows it to extend successfully into categories such as towels and shaving razor. However, it does not perform as well as Irish Spring (known for smell) in categories such as cologne and scented fabric softener, where Irish Spring's central attribute of smell is more relevant. Interestingly, Irish Spring, a lower equity brand, outperforms Dove in smell-related extensions, indicating that sensory attributes can counter the impact of lower brand equity if the sensory attribute is relevant to the extension category.Originality/valueThis study investigates brand extensions based on sensory attributes such as smell and touch instead of typical brand extensions based on functional and symbolic attributes. In particular, the authors examine whether the perceived fit between the parent brand’s dominant sensory attribute and the extended category (i.e. sensory fit) is more important than the parent brand's equity in the evaluation of brand extensions.

How best to advertise low-fit brand extensions: a construal level theory perspective

PurposeLow-fit brand extensions offer several potential benefits, yet their success is challenging. Building on construal level theory, this study aims to investigate how different advertising appeals can improve the evaluations of low-fit brand extensions through two different processes (cognitive and affective).Design/methodology/approachTwo experiments were conducted with US consumers. Study 1 used a 2 (extension fit: high, low) × 2 (ad appeal: abstract, concrete) between-subjects design. Study 2 applied a 2 (brand associations: promotion, prevention) × 2 (ad appeal: promotion, prevention) between-subjects design. Multivariate analyses and follow-up means comparisons were used to analyse data.FindingsStudy 1 found that an abstract ad appeal is more effective for promoting low-fit brand extension because it improves the perception of fit. Study 2 showed promotion vs prevention ad appeals lead to better evaluation of low-fit brand extensions when matched with parent brand associations (promotion vs prevention) in terms of construal level. This matching effect is underpinned by processing fluency.Research limitations/implicationsAd appeals can influence low-fit brand extension evaluation by influencing the perception of fit (cognitive process) or processing fluency (affective process). Future research could consider different ad appeals and other construal related factors to generalise these findings.Practical implicationsMarketers can design different ad appeals to effectively advertise low-fit brand extensions. These findings can guide managers in the development of effective advertising strategies.Originality/valueThis research offers a new perspective on how ad appeals can enhance low-fit brand extension evaluation.

“I” Prefer Personality Consistency and “We” Like Category Similarity: How Self-Construal Affects Brand Extension Evaluation

“I” Prefer Personality Consistency and “We” Like Category Similarity: How Self-Construal Affects Brand Extension Evaluation

Shaping extendibility: The influence of circular versus angular shapes on consumer brand extension evaluation

This study proposed a novel sensory marketing strategy (shape cues) to alter consumers’ reactions to distant brand extensions. Across five studies, circular (vs. angular) shapes lead to a more favorable overall evaluation of distant rather than close brand extensions. These effects are mediated sequentially by consumers’ cognitive flexibility and fit perceptions. In line with the “cognitive flexibility” account, this study found that the influence of shapes on brand extension evaluation diminishes when a sub-branding strategy is adopted to introduce the extension product. When a direct-branding strategy was used, shape was not affected. These effects were replicated across different product categories and cultures using different approaches to demonstrate shape cues, and employing both fictitious and real brand stimuli. In addition, theoretical and managerial implications were also discussed.

Exchange Versus Communal: How Brand Relationship Types Affect Brand Extension Evaluation

This research explores how brand extension evaluation is influenced by two types of brand relationship: an exchange brand relationship focused on product quality and value, versus a communal brand relationship focused on emotional connection with consumers. Through three studies, we demonstrate that there is no significant difference in the effect of brand relationship types on high-fit extension, but communal (vs. exchange) brand relationship leads to a more favorable evaluation of low-fit extension. In addition, we find that a serial mediating effect of self-brand affinity and feeling of trust. Specifically, communal (vs. exchange) brand relationship leads to stronger self-brand affinity and stimulates consumers’ feeling of trust, thereby improving the evaluation of low fit extension. The results provide brand managers with insights into the values of brand relationship management in brand extension.

Is Distant Extension Always Upset? Neural Evidence of Empathy and Brand Association Affect Distant Extension Evaluation.

Distant brand extension as an essential strategy of obtaining benefits was highly focused on the normal marketing practice and academic research. In the current study, we aim to recognize that how individuals with different levels of empathy respond to distant extensions under corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate competence (CC) associations to explore the corresponding neural mechanisms using event-related potentials (ERPs). We divided subjects into two groups involving a high empathy (HE) group and a low empathy (LE) group according to an empathy measure questionnaire. The subjects first faced a brand name following the CSR or CC association descriptions, and then, they were asked to evaluate the new product of brand by a five-point scale. Current results revealed that the participants of the HE group were more apt to accept the distant extension products than those of the LE group. Additionally, in the HE group, products from a brand with CSR associations were more acceptable than CC associations. Moreover, a larger N2 amplitude was elicited in the LE group than in the HE group. For the LE group, an augment N2 was found under CSR than CC associations, reflecting that LE consumers might perceive conflict when evaluating distant extensions and allocate more cognitive resources to deal with CSR information. At the later stage, the HE group showed a greater P3 than the LE group. For the HE group, an increased P3 was elicited under CSR than CC associations, suggesting that empathic individuals might show motivational salience and helping willingness toward distant extension products, especially under the CSR scenario. These results provide potential electrophysiological evidence for the positive impact of brand associations on the evaluation of distant brand extension in the case of subdividing different empathic individuals.

The effects of nostalgia marketing on consumers’ brand extension evaluation

The effects of nostalgia marketing on consumers’ brand extension evaluation

Neural Bases of Brand Reputation Effect on Extension Evaluation: An ERPs Study.

Brand extension, as a marketing strategy, is frequently utilized by enterprises to produce new products. There exist several critical factors determining its success, such as brand reputation and perceived fit. The present study adopts the event-related potentials (ERPs) method to explore the underlying neural mechanism of the joint influence of the two factors on consumers’ evaluation of brand extension. Specifically, consumers were presented with a brand with corporate social responsibility (CSR) or corporate ability (CA) reputation, following attached to an extension product (high fit vs. low fit). And then, they were given a 5-point scale to report their acceptance intention (AI) toward the brand extension. Behavioral data showed a higher AI and a shorter reaction time for high fit in contrast to low fit conditions. For low fit conditions, consumers were more inclined to accept the extension product with a brand with CSR than CA reputation. Neurophysiologically, CSR reputation evoked a larger P2 amplitude and LPP amplitude than CA reputation. Moreover, the low fit conditions elicited a more positive LPP amplitude than the high fit conditions in the context of a brand with a CSR reputation. Yet, for a brand with a CA reputation, the effect of perceived fit was not found. These results may reflect early attention resources engagement and altruistic motivation at the late stage during brand extension evaluation. The findings provided neurological evidence for which of the two types of brand reputation (CSR vs. CA) have a more positive effect on brand extension.

The impact of Quick Service Restaurant Brand Extension Evaluations on Purchase Intention and eWOM

Brand extension has been popularly used in the marketing field. It is because, when a firm extends their brand, they have a purpose to introduce their new brand/product without any challenge by connecting with the parent brand. Thus, between the parent brand and extension brand are not apart from association and similarity. Brand image has a part in the ability of consumers to make association to the parent brand and its extension. So, brand image and extension similarity is considered to be important when evaluating brand extension. Brand extension evaluation also will affect consumers’ purchase intention. In this study, the effect of eWOM through social media was also tested to the brand extension evaluation. In this research we use Starbucks and Starbucks Reserve as an object of the study with a within subject experiment. The first study was done using 2x2 (Brand image fit: Utilitarian/Symbolic, Brand extension similarity: High Similarity/Low Similarity), tested the effect of purchase intention and the second study was 2x2 (Brand image fit: Utilitarian/Symbolic, Brand extension similarity: High Similarity/Low Similarity) to measure the effect of eWOM. The findings in the first study shows the positive effect of purchase intention on extension similarity. If brand extension similarity and brand image are combined there will be interaction. The second study only shows the main effect, both on image and similarity. In the second study there is no interaction.

An Evaluation of Retail Brand Extension in the Context of Store Atmosphere, Perceived Quality of Parent and Extended Brands, and Perceived Fit

The purpose of this study is to examine the mediator role of the parent brand quality between the store atmosphere and extended brand quality and to investigate the moderator role of perceived fit in the effect of the parent brand quality on the extended brand quality. Data from 200 participants were collected through surveys conducted face-to-face in Ankara. The results of the process analyses reveal that the parent brand quality is a mediator between the store atmosphere and the extended brand quality. Perceived fit is a moderator between the parent brand quality and the extended brand quality.

Extending B2B brands into the B2C market: Whether, when, and how brands should emphasize B2B industry background

When business-to-business (B2B) brands extend into the consumer market, considering that end consumers are generally unfamiliar with B2B brands, managers often tend to expend extensive efforts in advertising the brand extension. However, insights into how B2B brands can leverage their industry background when extending into the B2C market are still lacking. In this study, we investigated whether, when, and how highlighting the industry background of a B2B brand in the advertisements of its B2C products influence brand extension evaluation. Our results indicate that presenting information on the B2B brand’s industry background may facilitate consumers’ evaluation of its extended B2C product. This positive impact is enhanced when the advertisement has competence appeal and alleviated when it has warmth appeal. The interaction between industry background and advertising appeal is mediated by consumers’ perceptions of brand personality appeal clarity. Our study provides insights into how B2B brand managers can leverage brands to drive an effective brand extension into B2C market.

Specific and Diffuse Cultural Orientation How it Impacts Evaluations of Brand Extensions with Varying Category Distance

Specific and Diffuse Cultural Orientation How it Impacts Evaluations of Brand Extensions with Varying Category Distance

How Life-Role Transitions Shape Consumer Responses to Brand Extensions

Life-role transition is a state wherein people pass through different life stages, involving changes in identities, roles, and responsibilities. Across six studies, the current research shows that consumers under life-role transition have more favorable attitudes toward distant (i.e., low- or moderate-fit) brand extensions than consumers who are not under life-role transition. The effect is driven by a sense of self-concept ambiguity associated with life-role transition, which subsequently prompts dialectical thinking that helps improve perceived fit between a parent brand and its extension, finally resulting in more favorable brand extension evaluation. This effect diminishes for (1) near (i.e., high-fit) brand extensions that do not require dialectical thinking for perceiving fit; (2) for sub-brand (vs. direct brand) architecture, for which there is less of a need to use dialectical thinking to reconcile the inconsistencies between a parent brand and its extension; and (3) when consumers perceive they have resources to cope with the life-role transition, which attenuates self-concept ambiguity. This research offers important theoretical and managerial insights by focusing on life-role transition—an important aspect of consumers’ lives that has been largely underresearched—and by demonstrating how and why it elicits more favorable attitudes toward brand extensions.

Spillover effects of competitive rivalry on brand extensions

Spillover effects seem to be pervasive in consumers’ decision-making. Yet, research examining spillover effects of competing brands’ associations is scarce, particularly in the context of brand extensions. In this research, we examine the extent to which associations of rival brands are transferred from the parent category to an extension category and how it influences extension evaluations. In two studies, we demonstrate a spillover effect of rivalry associations such that the success (failure) of a prior extension by a rival brand leads to a more (less) favourable brand extension evaluation, this effect being present in a high (vs. low) fit category. In addition, we show that this effect is moderated by relative brand strength of the rival brand. A stronger spillover effect is observed when the extension of a market leader brand is introduced following a prior successful extension by a challenger brand.

Involvement of bilateral insula in brand extension evaluation: an fMRI study

The present study aims to investigate functional involvement of brain areas in consumers’ evaluation of brand extension that refers to the use of well-established brand for launching new offerings. During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning, participants viewed a beverage brand name followed by an extension goods name selected from the beverage or household appliance categories. They responded acceptability to given brand extension. Both acceptability responses and reaction time revealed a noticeable pattern that participants responded to acceptable stimuli more carefully. General linear model (GLM) analyses revealed the involvement of insular activity in brand extension evaluation. Especially, insular activity was lateralized according to valence. Furthermore, its activity could explain behavioral response in parametric modulation model. According to these results, we speculate that insula activity is relevant to emotional processing. Finally, we divided neural activities during brand extension into separated clusters using a hierarchical clustering-based connectivity analysis. Excluding two of them related to sensorimotor functions for behavioral responses, the remaining cluster, including bilateral insula, was likely to reflect brand extension assessment. Hence, we speculate that consumers’ brand extension evaluation may involve emotional processes, shown as insular activity.

How less congruent new products drive brand engagement: The role of curiosity

When new products are announced, stakeholders often expect them to be congruent with the brand. Nevertheless, brands often go against stakeholders’ expectations and announce less congruent new products. However, the effects of brand congruence on consumers’ brand engagement (i.e., the sharing and commenting of posts) are not well understood. Drawing on schema-congruity theory, we show that (1) consumers are more curious about less congruent new products announced on social media, (2) this curiosity drives their intention to engage with the posted announcement, and (3) brand background operates as a boundary condition of this effect. While prior work shows that high congruence drives positive evaluations of brand extensions, we find that this positive effect only holds for brands with a traditional (vs. non-traditional) background. We demonstrate the robustness of our findings across three experiments using real and fictitious brands.

Influential factors of brand extension among university students: case for Pakistan

Brand extension is considered to be a highly plausible and essential factor for the success of new products. It is an elusive concept that adds value to the offered products and gives a competitive advantage for strategical positioning of new products in the consumers' minds. This study carefully considers the influential factors for the evaluation of brand extension for products targeting young customers. This study analyzed the three important characteristics of consumers by employing a new and proposed nomological network to assess the brand extension and its strategies. First, the brand extension was directly regressed with the need for uniqueness and with innovativeness. After observing the significance of the regressed model, the model was finally analyzed with the intervening variable of need for variety. Six hypotheses were developed, and the proposed theoretical model was assessed through structural equation modeling (SEM) with the help of SmartPLS. Data was collected from 331 university students of southern Punjab, Pakistan. It was found that all three personal characteristics of young consumers (need for uniqueness, innovativeness, and need for variety) are highly significant with the evaluation of brand evaluation. The proposed model explained more than 30% variation in the observed phenomenon. It was observed that the need for variety partially mediates the relationship between the need for uniqueness, innovativeness, and brand extension. As per the results of this study, it was found that the variety of products matters a lot for young customers so, marketers must consider the variation in the products while extending their product line. Theoretically, this study contributed and enhanced the nomological network of brand extension for young consumers. Practically, the study would help the decision-makers understand the preferences of the young generation to devise the new strategies of brand extension.

Exploring brand extension evaluation in the mobile internet environment

Exploring brand extension evaluation in the mobile internet environment

Attributes Ensuring Positive Consumer Evaluation in Brand Extension of Pakistan

Brand extension is an important cost-effective marketing method to offer new products. However, ordinary Least Square regression with control variables has been applied for estimation of variable coefficients. In the study, consumer evaluation of brand extension in Pakistan is dependent on quality of the original brand, substitutability of the extension with the original brand in certain usage situation and helpfulness of people, facilities and skills used in developing, refining and making the original brand for constructing its extension. Furthermore, other independent variables including complementarity, difficulty and moderating the role of quality of the original brand with fit attributes has been found irrelevant for determining consumer evaluation of brand extension in Pakistan. The author has found an expected significant outcome on the ideal point effect of substitutability at 15%.