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This study examines the effects of nostalgia marketing on consumers' evaluation of a brand extension product. In Study 1, participants who were presented with nostalgic advertisements gave more positive evaluations of the extension product than did participants who were shown advertisements without any nostalgia-evoking stimuli. In particular, in Study 2, the nostalgia effect was reinforced in participants who were primed with collective nostalgia rather than personal nostalgia. Lastly, in Study 3, the nostalgia effect on the evaluations of the extension product was more pronounced for participants who were primed with interdependent self than independent self. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic publishers now market their most prestigious journals as commercial brands. This paper investigates this trend in the scholarly publishing market, by analyzing how the successive owners of the journal Nature have capitalized on its reputation to generate additional profits to those already accumulated through university library subscriptions. Two branding strategies of the journal Nature are analyzed: the first one, product line extension, consists in extending the Nature brand in the same product category, by creating an ever‐increasing number of derived Nature journals; the second one, brand extension, consists in extending the Nature brand to other categories of products and services, such as academic rankings, sponsored supplements, feature advertisements, or webinars and trainings. The Nature brand leveraging strategy has been imitated by many other journal publishers. These branded products and services are well suited to the particular dynamics of the scientific field, which is based on the continuous quest for recognition. They are thus sold at all stages of the research cycle, from writing grants to popularizing research results, to scientists and academic institutions competing to accumulate symbolic capital. In this respect, academic publishers that engage in scholarly journal branding contribute to the transformation of the scientific 'community' into a scientific market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The present study aims to examine how consumers evaluate the extended human brands of athlete celebrities beyond their unique brand personality associated with sports. Athlete celebrities' unique image in sports is used as a human brand, and attitude toward the athlete brand extensions is investigated when the athlete's name is included in a new non-sport brand. The concepts of brand extensions were employed to develop the ideas of human brand extensions. Design/methodology/approach: In total, 198 participants answered online survey questions before and after being informed of athlete brand extensions. Partial least squares structural equation modeling is utilized to test the hypotheses. Findings: The survey results indicated that athlete–product fit and image transfer positively influenced attitude toward the extension. In addition, attitude toward the athlete brand extensions was significantly influenced by consumers' pre-existing attitude toward the celebrity; however, not by celebrity's expertise. Originality/value: The research findings imply that some brand extension concepts are applicable to human brands to understand the effectiveness of athlete brand extensions for non-sport products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess the extent to which gender impacts the evaluation of vertical line extensions of luxury brands in a cross-national context. The topic of brand/line extensions has been investigated in the mainstream branding literature. On the other hand, the topic has received less attention in the luxury literature. At the same time, while research has examined brand/line extensions from an international perspective, the impact of gender on consumer purchase intentions of luxury downward line extensions in different countries has remained unexplored. Design/methodology/approach: Based on an ANOVA design (2 extension types × 2 genders × 2 countries). The independent variables were ordered as follows: gender (male/female), vertical line extensions (upscale/downward) and country of living (France/USA). The purchase intention of the extension was chosen as the dependent variable. Findings: The study results show that key differences exist between men and women regarding vertical luxury line extensions. For instance, women in both countries rate a new downward line extension of a luxury brand more positively than men. In contrast, although women evaluate a new upscale line extension of a luxury brand similarly to men in France, women are more positive than men in the USA. Also, US men rate an upscale extension less positively than their French counterparts. Finally, women in both countries rate luxury downward extensions more positively than men. Originality/value: This study contributes to the literature of luxury brand management by examining how gender types process and respond to upscale and downward luxury line extensions versus purchase intentions in two different countries. This paper is unique as gender types are not often compared in previous research while fundamental distinctions exist, leading to significant differences. Practically, this study also provides key insights for marketing strategy development and adjustment for luxury manufacturers in terms of their target market, more specifically men versus women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autonomous cars are considered to be the next disruptive innovation that will affect consumers. It can be expected that not only traditional automakers will enter this market (e.g., Ford) but also technology companies (e.g., Google) and newer companies dedicated to self-driving cars (e.g., Tesla). We take a brand extension perspective and analyze to what extent consumers prefer autonomous cars from these brand categories. Our empirical study is based on discrete choice experiments about adopting autonomous vehicles in a purchase scenario and in a renting context. Our findings show that brands play a central role when making autonomous driving decisions. Brand preferences differ systematically when buying versus renting a self-driving car. While technology brands are most preferred overall, consumers favor automaker brands over new brands only when purchasing, not when renting. We further disentangle the brand strength into the marginal effects of image associations. For example, Google's strong brand positioning can be explained by experiences with the parent brand, but it could still improve brand strength by highlighting the relevance of the associated brand portfolio for self-driving cars. The effect of these brand extension success factors differs between parent-brand categories and also between the renting and purchasing scenarios, which requires a dedicated brand management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Grounded in categorization theory, this study examines the impact of luxury parent brand status signaling on brand extension authenticity and consumer attitudes in two international luxury markets. Design/methodology/approach: Using samples of luxury consumers from France and the United States, the study's hypotheses are tested using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), structural equation modelling (SEM) and multi-groups comparisons. Findings: Findings demonstrate that luxury parent brand (PB) status signaling, familiarity and perceived quality impact luxury extension authenticity, and authenticity has a significant effect on consumer attitudes toward the extension. The relationship between PB status signaling and extension authenticity is stronger for French consumers compared to their American counterparts. The effect of luxury PB perceived quality and familiarity on PB status signaling is similar for both American and French consumers. However, the effect of PB familiarity on luxury brand extension authenticity is stronger in France than the United States. Research limitations/implications: Results provide researchers and managers with insights on how to design marketing programs for luxury line extensions in a cross-national context. Originality/value: The authors contribute to existing literature examining factors related to the parent brand and the relationship between the parent brand and the extension by examining the effect of PB status signaling and extension authenticity on extension attitudes in two international luxury markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an important component of band equity strategy. To demonstrate CSR, firms often engage in cause-related marketing (CRM). CRM programs feature the firm's contribution of a percentage of each sale to a designated charitable cause. To date, few studies have examined CRM strategy in an international marketing context. This is surprising given research showing that: 1) consumers hold global firms to a higher CSR standard than local firms; 2) CSR explains a meaningful portion of brand preferences worldwide; and 3) globalization continues to drive international trade, global firms, and non-local consumption alternatives. To address the current gap, this research proposes a new model that hypothesizes the effects of cultural value orientation on international firms' CRM success. The model predicts that effects of "sponsor brand attitude" and "perceived fit between sponsor brand and sponsored cause" on positive CRM outcomes will vary depending on the target market's cultural value orientation. The new conceptual framework offers theoretically grounded propositions designed to assist international marketing managers while facilitating future research on international CRM strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Brand managers can choose among two fundamentally different brand positioning strategies. One is a broad brand strategy, focusing on many favorable brand associations. The other is a narrow brand strategy, focusing on just a few and thus more mentally accessible associations. Building on associative memory theory, this paper aims to examine which of these brand positioning strategies performs better under dynamic market conditions. Design/methodology/approach: Three experiments test the effect of brand positioning strategy on memory accessibility and competitive brand performance. Study 1 tests how brand strategy (broad vs narrow) affects defensive brand performance. Study 2 tests how broad vs narrow brands perform differently in a brand extension scenario (offensive brand performance). Study 3 uses real brands and situation-based attributes as stimuli in a defensive scenario. Findings: The results show that a narrow brand positioning strategy leads to a competitive advantage. Narrow brands with fewer and more accessible associations resist new competitors more easily and have higher brand extension acceptance than do broad brands. Research limitations/implications: The study shows how to use accessibility as evidence of associative strength and test how accessibility influences competitive brand performance in a controlled experimental context. Practical implications: Brand managers would benefit from a narrow brand positioning strategy in accordance with the unique selling proposition (USP) school of thought used by many marketing practitioners. Originality/value: The paper demonstrates that narrow brand positioning performs better than broad brand positioning in dynamic markets, and to the knowledge is the first to do so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study examines the factors contributing to the Indian Premier League's (IPL) becoming the leading professional T20 cricket league in the world. From its inception, in 2008, IPL has been a spectacular success — its popularity and profitability are now on par with such established sports leagues as the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB) and English Premier League. While IPL was a late entrant among professional T20 competitions, it quickly captured the imagination of cricket lovers worldwide and has managed to sustain the excitement even during pandemic times. IPL's present brand value is in excess of US$6bn, and its unconventional and innovative branding tactics have helped it break into non-traditional market segments and expanded the reach of cricket. From attracting top international cricketers to incorporating Bollywood glamour, partnering with major Indian business houses and displaying extravagant spectacles involving DJs and cheerleaders, IPL has pushed the envelope of a sport that was known for its conservatism and stodginess. Brand IPL has become a prized cash cow for its parent, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), propelling it to the status of the richest cricket board in the world. While there have been plenty of critics and naysayers, IPL continues to be the gold standard that other national cricket boards benchmark against and emulate. The paper offers a set of managerial precepts and guidelines for use by brand executives even in disparate industries and sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every new product introduction entails a branding decision: whether to name the product using a direct extension, a sub-brand, or a new brand. While previous research has focused on how consumers evaluate alternatives in lab settings, or, in studies based on secondary data, on the effectiveness of brand extensions in general, a comprehensive framework of the antecedents and consequences of new product branding decisions is lacking from the literature. The authors propose a theoretical framework that organizes product-, category-, and firm-level determinants of firms' new product branding decisions, and empirically test the framework's predictions using a large sample of new product introductions, documenting with real world data how managers choose among three branding alternatives. In addition, using both product-specific and firm-specific valuation metrics, the authors quantify the negative impact on firm value of misaligning the new product branding decisions with the conditions facing new products. Conceptually, the authors bridge the branding and new product performance literatures, and present findings that extend knowledge from behavioral research on brand extensions. Empirically, the authors provide evidence to managers on how to choose brand names for new products in a way that enhances the stock market value of firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the problem of hotel room sales, emphasizing the allocation of a specific amount of rooms for predefined market segments using the extension of the Expected Marginal Seat Revenue model, which can be perceived as one of the crucial activities in modern revenue management. The proposed extension of this model can improve data-based decision-making quality and the service provider's overall performance. This model uses stochastic non-linear programming to solve the problem of room allocation for the market segment and deals with the booking limits to help decide whether to accept or decline the booking request based on the behaviour of selected market segments or the expected current state of available capacities and other elements. To extend the model to fit better the managerial decision-making, the factors of no-shows and cancellations are implemented. The proposed model should be used to strengthen the quality of revenue management-focused decisions mainly focused on dynamic pricing, and the room allocation is omitted. The model respects the need for a more comprehensive perception of the problem and contains data-based factors like quantifying customer (or customer segment) behaviour and no-shows and cancellations that affect the selling strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Firms form various alliances or use brand extensions to enter new markets in order to improve their operational efficiency and create a positive spillover. However, they do not always know the implications of these strategies for market entry and multimarket competition because the sale of products in one market can have negative spillover effects on product sales in other markets. We present an analytical framework to examine whether and how (i.e., by choosing alliance entry or independent entry) competing firms should enter a market in a situation where market spillovers occur when a firm enters a spillover‐producing market to sell products that may increase or decrease the consumers' willingness to pay for products in the primary market. Our analysis shows that the operational efficiency (or quality differentiation ability) of firms in a spillover‐producing market varies, and hence, the impact of market spillovers differs for firms. We identify the key factors, such as bargaining power, brand value difference in the primary market, and the extent of efficiencies and spillovers, that determine the firms benefitting from the different entry strategies. Specifically, we show that firms would be more willing to choose an alliance strategy to enter a spillover‐producing market if the negative spillover is small and alliance efficiency is high. In contrast, if an alliance entry is not favored, the firms' relative operational efficiency is crucial for them to decide whether to enter the market independently under moderate spillover conditions. Finally, we show the implications of market entry strategies for managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This work proposes a model of formation of brand extension loyalty of a heritage brand parent based on the attitude towards the heritage brand parent, taking into account the mediating effect of the brand parent image and the moderating effects of the fit between the heritage parent brand and the brand extension as well as the involvement towards the product category. Methodology: An experimental study has been carried out with 328 tourists visiting the heritage destination and manipulating two levels of adjustment. A moderate mediation regression model was established using the PROCESS 3.4 software. Conclusions: The effect of the attitude towards the heritage brand on the loyalty towards the extension occurs through the image of the heritage brand. This effect is enhanced in low setting and high involvement conditions. The involvement moderates the direct effect regardless of the degree of brand extension fit. Implications: Implications are provided for the management of companies that use a heritage brand to compete in the market as well as for managers of cultural heritage. Originality and value: This work contributes to the existing knowledge about the process to the formation of brand-extension loyalty of brand of cultural heritage site, taking into account the perceptions about the parent brand in terms of attitude and image. Also, this study examines the moderating role of brand extension fit and the level of involvement with the category. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 outbreak leads to the sudden lockdown of sports businesses across the world. Due to the difficulty of generating sports content as usual amid the global pandemic, some sports organizations around the world, resort to esports. Concretely, sports organizations let their professional athletes compete virtually in video games to produce competitive entertainment for the audience. Such "mixed" competitive entertainment attracts a high spectatorship and significant social media attention. This commentary seeks to provide a research-based explanation of the phenomenon and predict future developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fifty years ago, Gerald Goodhardt's analysis of audience duplication across television programs led to the discovery of the Duplication of Viewing law. This law was then extended to describe and predict customer sharing within product categories: the Duplication of Purchase Law. Many replications and extensions documented the law‐like status of this generalisation, providing important insight into how brands compete and the composition of consumers' repertoires. In this article we build on that seminal research, using Duplication of Purchase as an analytical method to measure loyalty across categories, or, in other words, the purchasing of brand extensions. Brand extensions are commonly cited as a way to capitalise on brand equity, and when asked, respondents often report high intentions to purchase brand extensions. However, the actual cross category buying of brand extensions has not been systematically examined. In this research we analyse panel data to understand whether purchasing a brand in one category does in fact increase the likelihood of a brand being bought in a second category. The study finds that a consumer who purchases from two categories is on average 2.4 times more likely to purchase a brand extension in the second category if they had purchased the same brand in the other category. This effect is larger for brands spanning similar, or complementary categories. Therefore, for many brand extensions the cross‐category loyalty effect is much more modest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This empirical research, adopting an international retailing perspective, aims to examine the parenting advantages offered by emerging market multinationals (EMNCs) in luxury fashion retail sector. Design/methodology/approach: The researchers adopted a qualitative case study, and the qualitative data were collected through ten semi-structured interviews with senior managers. Findings: It is a win–win situation for the EMNCs as parent groups of Western luxury fashion brands, as the EMNCs can access critical assets including advanced brand management expertise, retailing know-how, and the services skills needed for higher income consumers. Meanwhile, the subsidiary brands benefit from a high degree of autonomy, intra-group resource utilisation, a competitive brand portfolio and most importantly economies of scales in the value chain, particularly in production. The perceived risks of EMNCs ownership include potentially restricted autonomy and the uncertainty over corporate development activities in the future, as well as the risks of diluting brand image caused by the inconsistency between country of origin and country of ownership. Research limitations/implications: Very few EMNCs have moved into luxury fashion retailing to date, which means that the sampling frame was small. The findings were generated from China, which is perceived to be of considerable psychic distance in terms of culture and policies compared to other emerging markets that have been heavily influenced by colonialism. Practical implications: This paper suggests that practitioners, particularly EMNCs, support their subsidiary luxury fashion brands through parenting advantages and develop their own high-end fashion brands through internationalisation. Originality/value: This empirical study contributes to the current international retailing literature by offering in depth insights of parenting advantages offered by EMNCs in luxury fashion retailing. It also enriches the EMNC literature, which has mainly adopted an international business scope, by extending this understanding into luxury fashion retailing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brand extension is a topic that has been widely discussed by academics and practitioners in various studies. Unfortunately, there are only a few that address the role of product involvement, advertising appeals, and value dimensions in the extension acceptance as their main issue. Therefore, this study aims to mixed three controlling factors which are product involvement, advertising appeals, and brand value dimensions in determining how consumers respond to the parent brand and extended brand. This study was designed to test the possible interaction in a 2x2x2 full-factorial between advertising appeals (informational vs. emotional), brand extension perceived fit (high vs. low), and value dimension (symbolic vs. functional) for high involvement products. This study confirmed that there were significant differences in the main effects for both consumers' evaluation toward brand extension and the parent brand in the case of a symbolic brand and the high fit of extensions. Emotional appeals play important role in enhancing this degree because of the high level of its brand associations. As symbolic brand often referred as premium brand, the more positive the level of quality perception, the higher level of consumers' evaluation toward brand and brand loyalty will be. Thus, the more loyal consumer to the parent brand, the more positive evaluations of the extension will be.

Using a case study of the Italian spirit grappa, we examine status recategorization—the vertical extension and reclassification of an entire market category. Grappa was historically a low-status product, but in the 1970s one regional distiller took steps that led to a radical break from its traditional image, so that in just over a decade high-quality grappa became an exemplar of cultured Italian lifestyle and held a market position in the same class as cognac and whisky. We use this context to articulate “theorization by allusion,” which occurs through three mechanisms: category detachment—distancing a social object from its existing category; category emulation—presenting that object so that it hints at the practices of a high-status category; and category sublimation—shifting from local, field-specific references to broader, societal-level frames. This novel theorization is particularly appropriate for explaining change from low to high status because it avoids resistance to and contestation of such change (by customers, media, and other sources) as a result of status imperatives, which may be especially strong in mature fields. Unlike prior studies that have examined the status of organizations within a category, ours foregrounds shifts in the status and social meaning of a market category itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study fills a research gap found with customers' motivations to download branded apps and how store digitization can influence their loyalty to the store. It develops a stronger understanding of customer propensity to download fashion retailer's branded mobile apps. The research builds on an exploratory study using a questionnaire and applies a non-probability (quota) sampling method to get 425 participants. Then a logistic model is implemented, with stepwise forward selection. The study found that the purpose of buying with a smartphone is the most significant factor for the propensity to download store mobile applications. It shows that the value of the payment functionality of a store mobile application is the most significant factor for the propensity to become loyal to a store due to its digitization. The findings point retailers to the most valued issues by their customers in order to download mobile apps and increase engagement. Managers should treat the app as their retail brand extension and think in terms of the experiential value they are adding to the user when they introduce features into their app. This work identifies two shopping-related app functionalities, buying and paying, as key drivers to enhance customer engagement and loyalty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Management & Organization Review is the property of Cambridge University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Transfer: Zeitschrift für Kommunikation & Markenmanagement is the property of Deutsche Werbewissenschaftliche Gesellschaft and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This research aims to empirically investigate positive and negative reciprocal effects of extensions on brand personality by varying levels of congruency and typicality, while controlling for the effects of motivation processing. A 2 (incongruent, congruent) × 2 (high typicality, low typicality) × 2 (high motivation, low motivation) research design was employed using two extension categories, namely watches and kidswear of the HUGO BOSS brand. The findings revealed brand personality dilution effects only. Specifically, brand personality dilution occurred in response to incongruent and congruent information. Further, contrary to schema theory, brand personality evaluations neither strictly followed the bookkeeping model in high-motivation conditions nor the subtyping model in low-motivation conditions in response to in-congruent information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research provides insight into how touch effects differ by brand familiarity and brand status. Using schema theory and contagion theory, hypotheses were tested in two between subject experiments. A sweater and pillowcase served as product stimuli and consumers were exposed to a known and unknown brand for the brand stimuli. Findings provide support for a brand contagion effect where a luxury branded product is concerned and suggest that this effect is activated through product touch. Interestingly, brand familiarity did not seem to influence the relationship between touch and product evaluation. This paper finds brand status to be a moderator of touch effects on product evaluation while brand familiarity is not. Additionally, a brand contagion effect activated through product touch is shown. The results of this paper provide insight for marketers and retailers regarding marketing strategies for different levels of the product life cycle (where familiarity differs), brand extension strategies (where familiarity and brand status may differ) and, most crucially, design of in‐store layout and product displays. It advances knowledge in the field of sensory marketing by integrating and conceptualizing previously unexplored relationships between three key areas of literature, namely product touch, brand familiarity, and brand status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the U.S. lodging industry (1994-2012), the authors empirically quantify the effects of the two main factors driving the rebranding effects identified by the theoretical branding literature--(1) the brand effect and (2) the interaction effect between the product (the hotel property) and the brands involved--on occupancy rate and other hotel performance indicators. They find that, on average, rebranding results in approximately a 6.31% increase in occupancy rates; 60% of this effect can be attributed to the brand identities (e.g., Holiday Inn) before and after rebranding while the remaining 40% is attributable to the interaction effect. The authors also find heterogeneity in the property-brand interaction effect of rebranding along various observable characteristics of the hotels. They assess the robustness of the results to various model assumptions and alternative instruments; in addition, they use matching estimators for analysis and exploit rebranding as a consequence of hotel mergers as a means of measuring rebranding effects. Finally, the authors considerthe impact that rebranding might have on competitors' properties. Their approach to measuring rebranding effects can be applied broadly to firms and industries experiencing a decoupling of the individual components of their value chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Companies often extend product lines with the goal of increasing demand for their products and responding to competitive threats. Although line extensions may lead to cannibalization and reduction of overall profit, the bulk of theoretical and empirical research has suggested that product line extensions result in a net gain of overall demand and market share. To mitigate cannibalization, the extant literature prescribes the addition of premium versions of products, or "upward line extensions," with the intention of achieving gains not only in demand and market share but also in overall profit. In this research, the authors employ analytical and empirical methods to make the case that upward line extensions aimed at matching a competing product's attribute may lead consumers to reassess their perceptions about the brand and the attributes of products in the market in a way that erodes the advantages of the extending firm. Ultimately, this can result in a loss of demand, market share, and profit for the extending firm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the role of perceived value in the relationship between brand attitude, perceived fit, extension attitude and consumers’ purchase intention of downscale vertical extensions of luxury and premium brands in two product categories: cars and shoes. Results from 236 individuals with different income levels show that extension attitude is positively related to purchase intention both directly and indirectly, via the perceived value of the extension; the latter is more strongly correlated than extension attitude to consumers’ purchase intention. Brand attitude is also positively associated with perceived value. Overall, perceived value partially mediates the relationships of brand attitude and of extension attitude with purchase intention. The product category affects the strength of some of the relationships in the model, including the role of fit. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

New brands often partner with well-known brands under the assumption that they will benefit from the awareness and positive associations that well-known brands yield. However, this associations-transfer explanation may not predict co-branding results when the expected benefits of the co-branded product are presented simultaneously with the co-branding information. In this case, the results of co-branding instead follow the predictions of adaptive-learning theory which posits that consumers may differentially associate each brand with the outcome as a result of cue interaction effects. Three experiments show that the presence of a well-known brand can weaken or strengthen the association between the less-known brand and the co-branding outcome depending on the timing of the presentation of product benefit information. When this information was presented simultaneously with co-branding information (at a delay after co-branding information), the presence of a well-known brand weakened (strengthened) the association of the less-known brand with the outcome and thereby lowered (improved) evaluation of the less-known brand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how the degree of fit between the brand extension and the parent brand, in the case of heritage sites, affects the extension's brand equity-formation, considering the mediating role of brand attitude and brand credibility and the moderating role of the tourist's level of experience of the parent heritage brand. An experimental design is applied, in which two different levels of fit between the parent heritage brand and the brand extension are controlled between subjects. Suggestions are provided for effective ways of enhancing heritage brand equity and therefore contributing to destination promotion and competitiveness.

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.

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, neural features influenced by brand familiarity and category were investigated in a brand extension experiment by using conventional event-related potentials (ERPs) and time-frequency analysis. Twenty-four participants were required to decide whether to accept the extension of one brand (stimulus 1) to a certain product category (stimulus 2) in a 2 familiarity x 2 category paradigm. Stimulus 1 consisted of household appliance brands that had different degrees of familiarity (high familiarity vs. low familiarity) to a certain participant, and stimulus 2 consisted of two categories of products (high conflict vs. low conflict). Twenty-two sets of valid data were used for data analysis. We found greater N270 amplitudes in the low-familiarity brand condition and in the high-conflict product category condition, which meant that the participants had to devote more cognitive resources when the brand was less familiar and felt more conflict when the brand was extended to the high-conflict product category. According to the time-frequency analysis results, brand familiarity and product category were found to have a significant effect on the amplitude of theta-band power (4–7.5 Hz) at frontal electrodes in the time period of 270−340 ms. This result indicated that the activity of individual nodes of the language processing networks increased when the extension product category was mismatched with respect to the brand name and that the related memory of the brand was activated and the long-term memory was extracted when the participants faced the high-familiarity brand extension. The study provides an insightful view of how brand familiarity and category influence consumers' cognitive processes regarding brand extension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the film industry is high risk, sequels and films adapted from novels or comic books can be financially successful because they can capitalise on the established brands of their parent work. Focusing on sequels and adaptations as extended lines and brands, this paper analysed 2,490 films released between 2010 and 2013 in the U.S. to examine what types of films were successful in terms of opening weekend gross and non-opening gross. During opening weekends, while sequels generated higher grosses than non-sequels, sequels adapted from existing work generated even higher grosses. Brand strategies involving stars and title novelty further helped adaptation sequels generate higher grosses mostly during opening weekends. Sequels and adaptations may work together to garner line and brand extension benefits upfront. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]