Brand extension: the moderating role of the category to which the brand extension is found

Abstract

Purpose

The objective of this paper is to evaluate brand extension from a consumer consumption perspective. The most relevant entity becomes both the product and the choice vector. This provides a different aspect of the heterogeneity as it concerns brand extension.

Design/methodology/approach

Nestlé was selected as the brand to be studied and two qualitative studies were carried out on students based on open‐ended interviews. After a pre‐test, two groups of 400 students were selected. The first group was exposed to the diet biscuits in the context of “nibbling” and the second group exposed to the lip applications in the context “protecting my lips”.

Findings

The results confirm the importance of the consumption context in terms of evaluating a brand extension. The study shows that the effects of the context fit and the typicality are more important when the category to which the brand extension is found is sensitive to the consumption context. In contrast, the effect of the association fit is more important when the category to which the brand extension is found is less sensitive to the consumption context.

Originality/value

The paper shows that the category to which the brand extension is found can be defined by its degree of heterogeneity with regard to the consumption context.

Citation

Seltene, M. and Brunel, O. (2008), "Brand extension: the moderating role of the category to which the brand extension is found", Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 17 No. 6, pp. 393-402. https://doi.org/10.1108/10610420810904130