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As athletes enter a new chapter in their lives retiring from their sport, the challenge of upholding and enhancing personal brands arises. There has been extensive research on athlete brand building via social media; however, there have been few studies analyzing how athletes build their own brands and brand extensions postcareer, particularly former National Football League (NFL) players. Sixteen retired NFL athletes were examined using Goffman's theory of self-presentation to determine strategies used for building personal brand extensions and obtaining follower engagement via Instagram. Through a content analysis, a total of 2,933 Instagram posts were analyzed, and the findings from this study revealed that former NFL players with fewer followers received higher engagement rates, and retired NFL players made more backstage type of posts on personal pages compared with front-stage posts. Implications, recommendations, and future research suggestions also are discussed within the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research proposes an empirical framework to help firms understand to what degree the transaction-specific Net Promoter Scores (NPS) spill over and affect customer spending across multiple product categories under the same parent brand. The proposed framework is applied to novel individual-level, cross-sectional, and time-series NPS ratings matched with transaction details from a leading lifestyle conglomerate in the Middle East. Findings provide strong support for the presence of the NPS spillover in brand extensions and show that the spillover is moderated by customer learning both within and across categories. The theoretical and managerial implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the high failure rates of brand extensions, insights into the drivers of brand extension success are critical for marketing practitioners and scholars. Prior research has inferred that parent brand equity and extension fit are the two key success drivers; however, empirical findings are mixed. Drawing on signaling theory, categorization theory, and a large database of 2,134 effect sizes from research spanning 1990–2020, the authors address these mixed findings through a meta-analysis to develop empirical generalizations. The results show that parent brand equity and extension fit positively influence extension success. However, the multifaceted dimensions of these two drivers have differential effects. For example, among the fit dimensions, usage fit has the weakest effect. While the results suggest an overall positive interaction effect between the two drivers, a fine-grained perspective that considers the drivers' various dimensions reveals differences. For example, brand familiarity appears to have a lower interaction effect with extension fit than the other dimensions of parent brand equity. Furthermore, the authors provide a comprehensive analysis of five groups of moderators: contextual factors (parent brand, extension, communication, and consumer factors) and research method factors. The authors offer managerial and future research implications for the design of brand extension strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the effects and mechanisms of institutional forces on the relationship between path-dependent behaviours and innovation performance from an integrated framework combining path dependence and institution-based views. We first examine the effects of path-dependent behaviours, manifested as product line retention and extension, on incremental and radical innovation performance. In investigating this relationship, we join the institution-based view and propose that the effects of path-dependent behaviours are contingent on political and economic institutional forces. Using the samples of Chinese listed pharmaceutical enterprises from 2010 to 2016, we reveal that path-dependent behaviours are conducive to incremental innovation but detrimental to radical innovation. More importantly, while economic institutional forces can enhance the effects of these behaviours on both types of innovation, political institutional forces can mitigate their negative impact on radical innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sobriety approach is gaining traction in the market, with many brands seeking to address new environmental challenges by adopting zero-waste manufacturing processes and promoting moderate product usage. This positioning raises major questions for brands related to the coherence of this strategy with their initial brand image and consumer reactions to this strategy. Through an experiment conducted with 241 participants in Canada, this study examines the coherence effect (strong vs. weak) and its interaction with the communications tone (optimistic vs. pessimistic) on consumers perceptions and responses to brand sobriety. The results show that strong coherence reduces perceptions of brand hypocrisy and increases perceptions of brand relevance, as well as emotional attachment and purchase intention. The study also shows that reactions are reinforced or diminished based on the communicational tone chosen; only the optimistic tone enhances consumers perceptions and responses when the coherence is weak. The theoretical and managerial implications of this study will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Despite the prevalence of luxury brand extension in the service industry, customers tend to be skeptical of the value of the extended brand. This study aims to investigate whether a parent luxury service brand significantly alters customers' predicted quality, identity and attitude toward the extended brand. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses partial least squares structural equation modeling to examine the proposed hypotheses in a developing country. Findings: The results show that the parent brand's brand distinctiveness positively and significantly signals the identity and quality of the extended brand. The model also identifies the mediating effects of quality as it signals the relationship between customers' perception of the parent brand and attitude toward the extended service brand. As expected, as the quality of the extended brand improves, so does attitude toward the extended hotel brand. By contrast, the perceived identity of the extended brand does not significantly increase support for a positive attitude toward the extended brand. Originality/value: This study contributes to the existing consumer marketing literature by suggesting future research directions and brand extension strategies for luxury hotel brand companies in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International competition and the continual emergence of new brands pose significant challenges to time-honored brands, prompting many of these established brands to adopt brand extension strategies as a means of reshaping and revitalizing their brand image. Based on the theory of brand legitimacy, this study constructs a research model of cultural fit – brand legitimacy – brand image and proposes pop culture involvement as a moderating variable. Two Chinese time-honored brands in the pharmaceutical industry, Tongrentang and Pientzehuang, were selected as the experiment scenarios. The study finds that: in the process of brand extension, cultural fit plays a positive role in influencing the brand image of the time-honored brands; brand legitimacy plays a mediation role between cultural fit and brand image; pop culture involvement plays a negative moderating role between cultural fit and brand legitimacy. Applications have also been mentioned in the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many companies such as Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors have had success selling both high-end luxury and middle-end 'masstige' brands, as consumers seek luxury labels at affordable prices. There have been studies into consumption of both luxury and masstige products, however, few inquiries have attempted to understand this phenomenon through interviews with luxury company executives. This study aimed to understand luxury executives' perceptions of 'pure luxury' versus masstige in order to update current literature and theoretical frameworks. Interviews were conducted with nine (n = 9) luxury executives. Major themes of balance and cohesion and value emerged; sub-themes and minor themes are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rise of the digital economy, many firms are enhancing product line flexibility (i.e., the ability to adjust product line length or depth) to better manage demand uncertainties brought about by disruptive technologies. Concurrently, the booming digital economy has widened the information gap in supply chains. Retailers/platforms can now gather more detailed data to predict demand, but such data remains unavailable to manufacturers. This article studies how a manufacturer's product line flexibility influences a retailer's incentive to voluntarily share private demand information. We show that upstream product line flexibility encourages a retailer to voluntarily share information when product substitutability is low and the product line extension fee is moderate. This insight challenges the conventional belief that retailers should keep demand information private to maintain an advantage over manufacturers. Our work is the first to suggest that upstream product line flexibility can significantly motivate retailer information sharing. Additionally, we show that, although a social planner might prefer to withhold demand information from the manufacturer in the absence of product line flexibility, sharing this information becomes preferable when the manufacturer can adjust the product line length. The retailer's decision on information sharing can align with the social planner's in such scenarios. Furthermore, we demonstrate that, given upstream product line flexibility, except when product substitutability is not sufficiently high and the product line extension fee is moderate, the retailer's information sharing decision is unaffected by whether the manufacturer determines the product line design before or after demand is realized and shared accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Firms that sell vertically differentiated products infrequently roll out multiple products at the same time. In fact, it is often a firm already selling a well‐established product that decides to expand up‐ or downwards when such an opportunity arises. A critical decision in this scenario is whether to introduce the new product under an existing brand. In this paper, we develop a game‐theoretic model in which firms expand their product line to cater to a different customer segment, choosing their branding strategy, new product quality, and prices. We find that the firm's optimal branding strategy depends on both the vertical direction of the expansion and the level of competition, and identify a novel interaction effect between these factors. In particular, firms engaged in direct competition employ branding as a commitment device to soften quality competition. When these firms extend their product line upwards, this creates a misalignment between firms' actions and consumer preferences. We also derive conditions under which firms, against conventional wisdom, choose to differentiate their products more when selling them under the same brand. Finally, we characterize the welfare effects of branding in this setting, and argue that our findings are consistent with observations from the car industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the influence of framing a brand's concept as functional versus symbolic in the advertising of a new vertical line extension. In this research, we carried out two online experiments and collected data from 415 participants recruited from MTurk to investigate the moderating role of believability on the effect of brand concept framing on consumers' purchase intentions of vertical line extensions. The results indicate that (i) consumers evaluate a vertical extension advertising message more positively when it is framed in a consistent manner with the targeted price/quality segment and not with its parent brand or existing product line and that (ii) this effect is moderated by consumer believability such that an advertising framing effect is found for high, but not low, in believability. Perceptions of category fit mediate the relationship between framing brand concept and the evaluation of the extension. This study contributes to the advertising and marketing literature by exploring how consumers can interpret brand concept framing in advertising messages of vertical line extensions differently depending on their level of believability and, in turn, influence their purchase intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to pay attention to the brand portfolio extension of international hotel chains, and explores the double-edged sword effect of consumer confusion in hotel brands on the purchase decision process. Design/methodology/approach: Four representative international hotel chains (Marriott, Accor, Wyndham and Hyatt) were selected, and this study adopted consumer confusion from both formative and reflective perspectives. First, the authors dealt with stimuli-causing consumer confusion and evaluated similarity, overload and ambiguity confusion about the brand portfolio of these major hotel companies. Second, the authors examined the influence of consumer confusion on the decision-making process, which is rooted in the awareness–interest–desire–action model. Findings: Among the source of consumer confusion, similarity confusion was critical for Marriott, Accor and Hyatt, whereas ambiguity confusion was severe for Wyndham. Awareness was positively affected by overload confusion, but negatively affected by ambiguity confusion. Furthermore, the link between interest and desire was moderated by the consequences of consumer confusion. Practical implications: Based on both positive and negative roles of consumer confusion, this study provides implications for enhancing brand strategy and communications of international chain hotels. Originality/value: This present study differs from previous studies, in that it deals with consumer confusion associated with brand portfolio expansion, which produces a double-edged sword effect in the hotel context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. Plain language summary: Unlocking the strength of museum brand expansion: Inspired by the Louvre Abu Dhabi This study looks at how the Louvre Abu Dhabi, an extension of the famous Louvre in France, influences people's willingness to visit. It examines factors that shape attitudes toward this brand extension and how they affect the likelihood of future visits. The research involved analyzing responses from 934 questionnaires in a multi-group study. By investigating aspects like brand image, perceived fit, and perceived localness, the study sheds light on tourist brands. Results indicate that a positive evaluation of the brand extension could lead to more visits in the future, which has practical implications for managing cultural tourism brands. The study also raises theoretical questions about global marketing research, stressing the need for a comprehensive approach to understand how attitudes toward brand extensions impact visit intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subjectivity and emotionality of a brand influence the subconscious motivation of customers. It determines brand loyalty, value of the brand, and sustainability of relationship with the customers. This study explores the qualitative dimensions of brand and aims to analyze the impact of qualitative dimensions of a brand on brand equity. In the present study, a sample of 450 respondents were taken who have positive inclination towards Apple iPhone. The variables of the study were extracted using qualitative research while data were processed using SPSS 20 statistical software. The hybrid approach is used in the study as it delivers better result. The proposed model was validated and the results of the study depict that brand friendliness, emotionality, brand trust, and alignment with the brand personality significantly influence brand equity. The study brings important insights about invisible, intangible, and subjective attributes of the brand. The study can be further used to build another inclusive model by incorporating both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the brand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brands bind customers and create loyalty towards the marked offers. In this context, brand extension is a versatile instrument that can be used in the context of growth strategies to release further potential based on strategic brand positioning. This involves defining a brand and then transferring it to new offerings in other categories. In consumer marketing, branding and brand extensions have long been part of the standard repertoire. In the marketing of non-profit cultural offerings, the possibility of brand transfer through brand extension - at least in Germany - does not seem to have been fully exploited yet. However, the advantages of branding and brand extensions are also obvious for those cultural institutions: New cultural offerings benefit from the high level of awareness and the good image of an established brand of the cultural institution (umbrella effect). In addition, there is a high synergy potential (synergy effect). And when introducing new offers, time and costs are saved because no new brand has to be introduced. The paper deals with the possibility for non-profit cultural venues as organizers of classical music events to bring about a significant increase in experience, customer loyalty and thus ultimately also in results through brand extension. Within the framework of a qualitative study, first, the brands (logos) of the most important concert halls in Germany are categorized according to specific design criteria. Then the potentials that can be realized through corresponding brand extensions are presented. Using the example of the Duesseldorf ‘Tonhalle’ (German for ‘music hall’ resp. literally ‘tone hall’), one of the main concert halls of the North RhineWestphalian state capital Duesseldorf in Germany, it is shown how and to what extent this non-profit cultural event venue has been able to profit from a consistent brand extension of the ‘Tonhalle’ brand. With an unchanged marketing budget for the Tonhalle Duesseldorf, subscription numbers more than doubled during the reporting period, with free ticket sales remaining unchanged. Many subscribers remained loyal to the Tonhalle even during the COVID pandemic. A transfer of the results to comparable concert halls - and even to other cultural non-profit institutions beyond the music scene - should be possible without major difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By offering a delightful experience, role-playing games (RPGs) have attracted many players. However, their development has been challenged by issues such as the emergence of online/mobile games and the proliferation of pirate copies. Therefore, RPG developers should consider different strategies to sustain the RPG series. We conducted a case study on "Chinese Paladin," an RPG series that has been successful for over two decades in the Greater China region. We identified four strategies for an RPG to sustain itself and develop into a brand, namely (1) timeline-moving strategy, (2) crossover strategy, (3) sublimation strategy, and (4) cross-media strategy. We also highlighted some theoretical and potential implications related to RPG and information systems (IS) brand development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To compete against disruptive startups such as Rent the Runway and Zipcar, many established brands have shifted from traditional ownership business models to access business models by providing short-term rentals of existing goods. Despite their growing popularity, surprisingly little is known about how access offers affect consumer responses. The current research addresses this gap and reveals unintended consequences of introducing branded access offers. Across four experiments, the authors find that consumers whose brand attachment reflects their identity as a member of a group (e.g., those with a high group-brand connection) think that access versus traditional (ownership-based) offers more negatively impact parent brand image. This accessor effect occurs because consumers with high group-brand connections are differentially sensitive to accessors' perceived lack of brand commitment. Consistent with our perceived commitment account, the effect can be mitigated when access offer rental periods are longer (vs. shorter). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-fit brand extensions, while often presenting profitable opportunities for existing brands, are known to meet with varying levels of consumer acceptance. This research identifies conditions in which low-fit extensions can succeed. Specifically, the authors show that the extent to which consumers consider the context in forming judgments (i.e., they are context dependent) determines their acceptance of low-fit extensions. Across four studies, the authors examine the combined effects of context (in)dependence and type of information. Context-dependent consumers form their evaluations on the basis of the type of brand extension information provided, such that providing benefit-based information enhances the evaluations of low-fit extensions, whereas providing attribute-based information leads to a reliance on extension fit and subsequent unfavorable evaluations of low fit extensions. In contrast, context-independent consumers are more likely to base their judgments on extension fit regardless of whether they receive attribute- or benefit-based information. Acceptance of high-fit extensions is unaffected by context (in)dependence and type of information. These findings provide a two-step strategy (i.e., sensitize consumers to context and providing benefit-based extension information) to managers for launching low-fit extensions and leveraging existing parent brand equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study tests a brand extension in fast fashion to explore the extension’s effect on the parent brand. It investigates whether extensions to varyingly distant product classes modify customers’ attitudes toward the parent brand. University students from the Technical University of Liberec, the Faculty of Economics (Czech Republic), aged 22-25 years, participated in an online survey for this study. The number of respondents was 310. The outcomes are relevant for this segment of customers. The model with classic brand extension factors (perceived fit (FIT), attitudes toward the brand extension (ATE), parent brand attitude change (PBCH)) was constructed. Factors of fashion leaders and emotional variables (e.g., trust and loyalty) were added to the model. The model was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) in AMOS software and was statistically significant (Chi-squared value of 6.402, p = 0.171). A positive relationship was observed between FIT and ATE (β = 0.534, p-value = 0.000), the same as trust and ATE (β = 0.693, p-value = 0.000). Equally, ATE had a significant positive impact on PBCH (β = 0.722, p-value = 0.000) and trust and loyalty (β = 0.649, p-value = 0.000). Loyalty negatively affects ATE (β = -0.126, p-value = 0.010), indicating that these customers may have problems with brand extension, similar to a fashion leader (β = -0.126, p-value = 0.010). TRUST has a negative effect on the PBCH (β = -0.338, p-value = 0.000). Insights derived from this study hold substantial relevance for marketers in fast fashion aiming to prepare brand extensions effectively. AcknowledgmentThis work is supported by the Technical University of Liberec, Faculty of Economics – internal grant.

Hollywood film remakes, as old as the cinema itself, have attracted much professional, critical, and academic attention. They have been viewed by art critics as products of cultural derivativity and imperialism and commended by financial experts as low-risk business investments, closely linked to other forms of brand extension, such as sequels and bestseller adaptations. In this article, we adopt a film-historical quantitative approach to Hollywood film remakes by analysing metadata obtained from the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) and verified against reliable print and web sources. We analyse 986 Hollywood remakes produced between 1915 and 2020 in terms of raw and relative frequencies of annual releases, genre (in)stability, and patterns of transnational reproduction. We contrast our findings with those outlined by Henderson (2014a) in his statistical survey of Hollywood sequels, series films, prequels, and spin-offs, presented in his monograph The Hollywood Sequel: History and Form, 1911–2010. Having completed his list with recent sequential productions released between 2011 and 2020, we investigate the potential parallels between Hollywood remaking and sequelization practices. Our findings demonstrate historical discrepancies in various 'content recycling' trends, which help better characterize the cultural and commercial significance of remakes and serial forms in the American film industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tech conglomerates have launched many extension brands to enter the streaming media market. This paper analyses a study which examined the factors that affect these brand extensions from the perspectives of consumer attitude and perceptions. A total of 1,404 participants who reported having used parent brands were recruited for the study and were included in the final sample. Five hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling analysis. Loyalty to the parent brand, variance in brand portfolio quality and perceived fit significantly influenced attitudes towards brand extensions. In addition, perceived fit and attitudes towards brand extensions positively reinforced consumer attitudes towards the parent brand. Finally, no difference was found with reference to the aforementioned factors when the more established streaming extensions were compared with the newer extensions of tech conglomerates. A unique aspect of the study is the structural validation of brand extensions by tech conglomerates. Further, the results of the study support the understanding of the importance of feedback effects and perceived fit in the brand area of tech conglomerates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the joint effects of brand typicality (the typical design of a given brand) and product typicality (a typical exemplar of a product category) on consumer responses to a product's design within the brand extension context. The mediating role of perceived novelty and the moderating roles of brand strength and consumer innovativeness were also examined. Two between-subjects experiments were conducted with large samples of young male and female consumers. Study 1 employed an online experiment with a 2 (brand typicality: high/low) × 2 (product typicality: high/low) × 2 (brand strength: strong/weak) design. Study 2 consisted of a quasi-experiment with a similar design, where brand strength was replaced with consumer innovativeness (high/low) as a moderator. Brand and product typicality demonstrated joint effects on consumer response, such that brand typicality elicited a more positive response when product typicality was high. This effect was more salient for strong brands and innovators. Consumer response was also more positive when the product was atypical (vs. typical), and this effect was mediated by perceived novelty. Weak brands benefited from product atypicality more than strong brands. This study uncovers novel implications for product design in brand extensions. Weak or unfamiliar brands may benefit from product atypicality since any adverse effect of atypicality on consumer response is largely offset by the positive influence of perceived novelty. In the case of strong brands, product typicality elicits a positive response in conjunction with brand typicality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper challenges two common views of brand dilution: first, that it is exclusively the unintended consequence of a poorly executed strategy of brand extension and, second, that its likelihood is heightened by brand licensing. Using a new theoretical model, we show that brand dilution can be seen not just as an unfortunate development to be avoided, but as an opportunity to monetize the brand. We further show that, at the relevant margin, switching from in-house development to licensing reduces the risk of brand dilution. The model offers a novel perspective on some important managerial choices and generates a series of empirically testable hypotheses. This paper was accepted by Dmitri Kuksov, marketing. Funding: Financial support from PRIN 20157NHSTP004 is gratefully acknowledged. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.00852. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of innovations can be more successful when launched under an established brand name, e.g. as a brand extension. However, the role of the appearance of the design is often underexposed, whereas the visual appearance of products is known as a critical determinant of consumer response and product success. Based on current literature, designers and design managers only know what to design, but suffer from a lack of knowledge how to design more successful brand extensions. When designing the visual appearance of these extensions we can rely on the strong and recognizable identity of the brand (typicality), but also have to create a completely new product (novelty) referring to the much-debated MAYA Principle (Most Advanced, Yet Acceptable). In this paper we recognize the limitations of the MAYA principle and claim that the success of brand extensions cannot be explained by a simple negative linear equation of opposites as typicality versus novelty. The results of two design case studies about speakers and headphones show that at least three determinants play an important role when designing the appearance of brand extensions; product typicality (does the design look like the archetype product), novelty (how novel is the design) and brand fit (does the design refer to the brand characteristics). Besides that we argue that the optimal balance between those three actors will also be determined by the type of product (archetype or multitype). The results indicate a higher importance of a novel visual styling for speakers and a stronger connection between typicality and brand fit for headphones. To support the design process even further, we will present our findings with the aid of the Triangular Designers space that helps designers and design managers to strategically make decisions to launch successful brand extensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how firms engage in corporate entrepreneurship through programmes, and what kind of outcomes they achieve in terms of innovations. Insights are drawn from four cases of organisations that engaged in corporate entrepreneurial activities. The paper identifies two dimensions of corporate entrepreneurship programmes as idea themes, indicating whether programmes are designed with specific themes in mind, and idea ownership, indicating whether there is a dedicated team to focus on new ideas, or not. These dimensions are under the direct control of management. Based on these two dimensions, four models of corporate entrepreneurial activities are presented linking each of these models to one of the four cases of product innovations (product line extensions, product improvements, new products, start-up businesses). By drawing on the insights of the effectuation and causation logics, the paper provides a fresh perspective of corporate entrepreneurship programmes in an emerging, non-Western cultural setup and the product innovation context. This is primarily done by introducing a 2 × 2 matrix regarding corporate entrepreneurship idea themes and idea ownership in an emerging context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The booming platform economy has made it very convenient for consumers to communicate with each other through social media whenever and wherever they want. As industry and academia have repeatedly confirmed, such social communications are now significantly changing firms' business and management practices. This paper studies how social communications affect an upstream firm's product line design in the platform economy when an online platform makes strategic contract choices. We show that for both wholesale and agency contracts, social communications increase the product line length while decreasing the product price and quality. We also identify the conditions under which social communications provide a firm with fewer incentives for product line extension under a wholesale contract than under an agency contract. On the platform side, we show that an agency contract can be preferred in the presence of social communications over a wholesale contract if and only if the commission rate is sufficiently high or both the commission rate and the product line extension fee are moderate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years several studies have reported a significant waste of advertising budget, a finding which calls for strategies to increase advertising efficiency. While some factors, such as brand extensions or an optimal marketing mix, have already been identified as relevant determinants of advertising efficiency, changes in consumer psychographics have so far been neglected. The current study fills this gap by investigating how the emerging awareness and demand for corporate sustainability serve as a contextual factor leveraging or hindering advertising efficiency. Furthermore, we investigate how advertising efficiency has changed across various industry sectors from 2010 to 2019. A two-step procedure was applied to analyze the secondary data of 1950 observations from 195 US firms in five industry sectors over a period of 10 years. The resulting time series of firm-specific multi-directional efficiency scores confirms that advertising efficiency varies over time, justifying the relevance of a dynamic perspective for analyzing advertising efficiency. Furthermore, in support of our main claim, the investigation of the relationship between advertising efficiency and the environmental, social and governance performance of firms over time using a time-fixed effects panel regression and a three-level hierarchical regression model confirm the significant impact of corporate sustainability performance on advertising efficiency. Interestingly, this effect varies among different industry sectors and not all corporate sustainability activities impact advertising efficiency to the same extent. The results not only emphasize the relevance of corporate sustainability performance in increasing advertising efficiency, but also guide marketers on strategic marketing decisions related to the allocation of advertising budget. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research provides compelling evidence that consumer reactions toward symbolically incongruent brand behaviors depend on their level of self‐brand connection. It challenges the conventional belief that high self‐brand connection works as a protecting shield for brands and reveals that consumers with higher (vs. lower) self‐brand connection react more negatively toward symbolically incongruent brand behaviors because they feel betrayed by the brand. The results unveil that a sense of betrayal can be incited, when a brand's behavior is symbolically incongruent with its established meaning. This pattern of consumer responses is consistent across four experimental studies, which involved a diverse sample of 563 participants from different countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Spain and used various product categories. The results consistently show that individuals with high self‐brand connection display an increased intention to engage in negative word of mouth, along with a decline in their brand attitudes and purchase intentions, driven by feelings of betrayal. This effect is further intensified for consumers with higher self‐enhancement need. It is worth noting that prior literature on betrayal has often linked such feelings to more significant transgressions and behaviors with immoral connotations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Several high street retail banks are extending their brands into digital banking through fully digital, app-only neobanks, which have been described as traditionally-driven neobanks (TDNBs). These TDNBs are considered a form of brand extension, representing the increased complexity of branding banks and financial institutions. This study explicitly addresses the branding strategies employed by TDNBs. Design/methodology/approach: This study has adopted a case study research design, using a multi-stage data collection strategy. Initially, interviews were conducted with bank managers, followed by interviews with customers. Later, user-generated content was extracted through verified reviews from the app store. Subsequently, these three strands of data were thematically analysed and triangulated, in order to gain a holistic understanding of the branding strategies used by TDNBs. Findings: Three key themes emerged regarding the branding strategies of the TDNBs: aligning with the parent brand, reinforcing the digital experience, and enhancing the brand image. Research limitations/implications: This study contributed to the growing body of research on marketing, branding, and digital transformation of bank services. As more traditional banks are exploring opportunities to pivot and explore other fintech options, this study offers significant insights that will help in managing brand experience and promotion across customer journeys in the banking sector. Practical implications: This study contributes to the growing body of research on marketing, branding, and digital transformation of bank services. Even as more traditional banks explore opportunities to pivot as well as other fintech options, this study offers significant insights to help manage brand experience and promotion across customer journeys in the banking sector. Originality/value: While previous studies on banking and financial services have concentrated on traditional retail and high street banks, there is a need for a greater understanding of the brand positioning of digital banks, especially those created by traditional banks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This pioneering study wishes to advance our knowledge regarding consumers' motivating, inhibiting, and trust factors influencing their purchase of non‐fungible tokens (NFTs). Employing an extended valence framework (EVF), the authors investigate the role of the marketplace trust, marketplace reputation, and perceived regulatory support in addition to the benefits and risks of the new NFT technology; in eliciting a purchase intention for NFTs. A survey of 358 NFT enthusiasts is conducted to empirically test the EVF using the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique (study 1). Further, an experimental inquiry using a 3 × 3 between‐subjects design (study 2) is performed on actual NFT consumers to investigate the relative effectiveness of the focused benefits (value appreciation vs. exclusivity vs. enjoyment) and the brand extension (original product vs. near‐extension product vs. far‐extension product) in leading to positive outcomes like purchase intention and the price willing to pay for the NFTs. In addition to suggesting a comprehensive and useful framework for examining the psychological determinants of an individual's purchase intention for NFTs (study 1), the study 2 outcomes contribute significantly to future scholars and marketers by guiding them in designing effective benefits message appeals to the buyers in promoting their NFTs for original as well as brand extension products. The results recommend that NFT marketers focus on the exclusivity benefits of the NFTs for higher willingness to pay among the users while signaling value appreciation benefits shall evoke the highest purchase intention among the three benefit message appeals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuromarketing is the field of studying neural signals to comprehend consumer behavior, which can help improve marketing strategies. In the recent past, scholars have conducted research to enhance the conceptual understanding of neuromarketing by applying bibliometric analysis. However, most studies either had a myopic view or considered a few articles. As a result, existing literature fails to provide a nuanced understanding of neuromarketing. The present research addresses this lacuna using a bibliometric analysis of 383 research articles across different domains from the Scopus database. The research covers the most influential authors, articles, top journals, most prominent countries, and institutions in the neuromarketing field. Next, keyword co‐occurrence analysis reveals major themes such as decision‐making in consumers, marketing and consumer behavior, advertisement, non‐invasive techniques in advertisement effectiveness, ERP and brand extension, brand and fMRI. Finally, analyzing the six thematic areas gives valuable insights into the current research. The study also provides research areas for future researchers by identifying the gaps in the present thematic areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous improvement of product environmental standards, using or selling older generation products will increase additional environmental costs, resulting in a decrease in consumer preference for older generation products or products on hand. This paper investigates the impact of specific product environmental standards implementation on enterprise product line extension and pricing strategies. We find that if the production cost is low or the consumers' green sensitivity is high enough, the manufacturer's green production can be better than the designated standard. When the unit production cost of new products is within a certain range, the manufacturer's profit will increase, otherwise it will decrease. In addition, we present the manufacturer's product line update strategy in different market segments defined by different cost thresholds, which indicate the cases where the manufacturer will be forced to withdraw from the market. Moreover, we examine the correlation between consumer quality preference and market demand, and discover that an elevation in consumer preference for product functional quality does not necessarily result in a corresponding increase in product demand. Finally, we investigate the relationship between the manufacturer's actual green product decision and the specified environmental standard, and give the decision areas where the manufacturer's actual green decision is higher (or lower) than or equal to the specified green standard. The results suggest that blindly improving environmental standards by policymakers does not necessarily lead to an improvement in manufacturers' green decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given that the vast majority of brand extensions fail, it is important to understand how extension failure influences consumer judgments of the parent brand that launched the extension. In the brand extension literature, there is a paucity of research on the role of consumer characteristics in influencing response to such failures. To fill this gap, the present research examines the impact of consumers' implicit theory orientation—their perspective on whether personality traits are malleable versus fixed—on the severity of negative feedback effects following extension failure. Seven studies show that entity theorists, who believe in the fixedness of personality traits, penalize parent brands more than incremental theorists, who endorse trait malleability. This brand penalty effect arises because as compared to incremental theorists, entity theorists are motivated to view brands as a cohesive group and therefore equate extension failure with the diminishment of the overarching parent brand. This effect is more likely when brand cohesiveness is low or ambiguous, but it is less likely when brand cohesiveness is high. Furthermore, while entity theorists are more likely to reduce brand evaluations after extension failure, the two groups do not differ in parent brand evaluations after extension success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brand extension attitude is an important marketing topic for academics and practitioners. Consumers evaluate brand extensions based on available and relevant information. The current study is one of the first attempts to empirically examine consumer attitudes toward logo and feedback effects on brand extension attitude. The impact of logo attitude on brand extension attitude was investigated by surveying the Iranian dairy industry. The empirical findings suggest that logo attitude was directly related to brand attitude and indirectly associated with brand extension attitude. Furthermore, the brand attitude had a direct positive effect on brand experience. Brand experience's role in generating both brand equity and brand strength was confirmed. It was found that both brand equity and brand strength positively and significantly influenced brand extension attitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to investigate replies to the top 10 comments under Always "Like a Girl" YouTube femvertising video to gauge consumers' responses regarding femvertising as well as relationships among commenters. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopted a mixed research methods design. A user analysis and a qualitative content analysis were conducted to examine the replies of the top 10 comments with the most replies to reveal not only the topics but also relationships and patterns among those comments and commenters. Findings: The user analysis found that across all the 10 comment-and-reply units, in 8 units, the user of the original primary comment, the conversation starter, was also the user who was targeted most often. The qualitative content analysis revealed four themes from the 10 comment-and-reply units: multilayered emotional responses, a gendered society, complex coexisting relationships and a melting pot. Research limitations/implications: The findings of this research offer significant extensions to the understanding of public sphere theory within the contemporary digital media landscape. By analyzing the nature of replies to digital advertisements, the study illuminates how various types of user engagement–whether it be inquiry, laudation, debate, or flame–play a critical role in shaping the digital public sphere. Practical implications: The study underscores the importance for marketers to scrutinize both comments and replies to effectively utilize femvertising on social media, particularly YouTube. By understanding the emotional dynamics of user interactions, marketers can craft strategies that evoke positive responses and mitigate negative ones. Engaging with users who are open to changing their views or mediating discussions can also be beneficial, as can the use of AI tools to maintain focus on the content rather than on individual commenters. Such approaches can enhance the perception of femvertising campaigns and foster a more constructive dialogue within the social media space. Originality/value: This study contributes to the literature by investigating the replies of comments, interactions, relationships and patterns among YouTube commenters that may generate valuable insights for advertisers and marketers to be aware of the possible issues and monitor the sentiment of commentaries, thus, developing effective strategies to better connect with consumers. This extends the understanding of public sphere theory in the contemporary digital media landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depuis le début des années 2000, l’industrie musicale connaît une récession liée à la numérisation et au piratage sur Internet. Cette crise a un impact majeur sur le business modèle des artistes. Ceux-ci tirent désormais leurs revenus essentiellement des concerts et des produits dérivés. Dans cet article, nous nous intéressons à une autre stratégie, à savoir l’extension de marque par laquelle des artistes profitent de leur notoriété pour lancer de nouveaux produits. Nous développons un modèle du processus psychologique sous-jacent que nous testons grâce à une enquête concernant une extension de marque potentielle du groupe Coldplay.

The positioning of a brand strategy is unprecedentedly moulded by the consumer perceptions, and so, the purpose of this study is to comprehend the influence of brand competence in the stereotype-building that shape perceptions and consumer behaviour, which is asserted to be a research gap in previous literature. A survey research, conducted in the UK upon the product brands of a consumer market, analysed the phenomena of perceived brand globalness (PBG) and perceived brand localness (PBL) through an enquire targeting the final consumer. The results uncovered a residual superiority of global brands, but not deterministic of purchasing intentions. Brand competence and stereotyping demonstrated a reciprocal influence. The myth of incommensurability between global and local branding strategies was demonstrated to be off beam, and likewise, the alleged inverse proportionality of local and global stereotypes. In this context, the future of brand extensions and rebranding require a compatibility of both strategies and the hybridization of globalness and localness on one's portfolio management exercise. Nonetheless, the extension of the general influence of the brand to gain higher control over the consumption patterns ought to abandon the seemingly unattainable logic of micro-targeting and focus on the meta-mapping of the "consumer mosaic" and the underlying contingencies of accessibility and manipulation of large amounts of data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Branding and consumer buying behaviour are positively correlated (Muhammad & Iqbal, 2014). Emotional loyalty is considered as optimistically influencing emotional brands towards customers (Jawahar & Maheswari, 2009). The value premium generation of the brand and effusion do get effected by the association of parent brand and brand extension. Concluded value trade off experienced from the parent brand is discovered to be effectively connected effusion towards brand extension. Mustafa & Akdogan (2015) admit that customer innovation exists in all segments of market. The article investigates buyers' excitement and experience relationship sometimes called as customer innovativeness is drawn as an association of value premium generation by the parent brand and effusion towards brand extension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to investigate the effect of consumers' need for cognition on their sequential processing of brand extension. An online experiment was thus conducted with a sample of Korean women aged 30–39 years. The results revealed that perceived product-feature fit between a parent brand and its extension product category enhanced perceived similarity between the parent brand and its brand extension among participants low and high in need for cognition. Next, for participants low in need for cognition, the perceived similarity increased brand extension attitude and brand extension buying intention. For participants high in need for cognition, the perceived similarity and an interaction of perceived product-feature fit and parent-brand image fit between the parent brand and its extension product category influenced the brand extension attitude. Lastly, the brand extension attitude enhanced the brand extension buying intention among participants low and high in need for cognition. The study is among the first to empirically examine (a) the perceived sequential relationships among a brand extension, its parent brand and its extension product category and (b) differential effects of the perceived sequential relationships among them on brand extension attitude and brand extension buying intention between consumers low and high in need for cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The burgeoning digital economy has expanded the information gap in supply chains. Supply chain information transparency has thus attracted increasing attention from both industry and academia. Meanwhile, as consumers pay more attention to corporate social responsibility (CSR), firms have made efforts to audit their suppliers to avoid CSR violations. This paper explores the strategic role of CSR auditing in supply chain information transparency. We examine how CSR auditing interacts with supply chain information transparency by considering a scenario where a firm strategically sells either a single product or a product line through an online retail platform. Our results show that when the product line strategy is uncertain, the firm's audit commitment strengthens the platform's incentive to voluntarily disclose information. Our results also show that when the length of the product line is unchangeable, the platform prefers to share the information even if the firm does not make audit commitments. Additionally, when the platform's information sharing decision and the firm's product line design are made simultaneously, the platform may choose to privately withhold the information if the product line extension cost is in the moderate range and the demand loss from CSR-concerned consumers is relatively minor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]