Harmful Upward Line Extensions: Can the Launch of Premium Products

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Harmful Upward Line Extensions: Can the Launch of Premium Products Fabio Caldieraro, Ling-Jing Kao, & Marcus Cunha Jr. Harmful Upward Line Extensions: Can the Launch of Premium Products Result in Competitive Disadvantages? 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. Keywords: anchoring, consumer learning, line extension, positioning, spillover effects Online Supplement: http://dx.doi.org/10.1509/jm.14.0100 n many product categories, market challengers attack the detergents featuring an oxi-active ingredient (e.g., Wisk Oxi position of established market leaders with the intent of Complete). Tide, however, did not counteract OxiClean’s Istealing sales and revenues and gaining market share. move and instead continued to invest in supporting claims Frequently, these attacks take the form of a challenger about the superiority of its stain-removing ingredient (Neff improving a key product feature that made a leading product 2003) for more than a decade. successful. Take, for example, the stain-removal laundry This decision by Sun Products is in line with the generally detergent category and the competitive pressure that the accepted notion that the addition of new products to a product market leader, Procter & Gamble’s Tide, faced in the early line may not only prevent loss of customers but also increase 2000s. For years, Tide had successfully persuaded consumers the overall demand and market share for the firm. Numerous of the superiority of its antistain bleach alternative as an theoretical and empirical analyses have provided support for efficient nonchlorine-based stain remover. OxiClean attacked this prescription (e.g., Bayus and Putsis 1999; Kadiyali, Tide’s market position by communicating the benefits as- Vilcassim, and Chintagunta 1998; Kekre and Srinivasan sociated with oxi-action stain removal power. Some estab- 1990; Smith and Park 1992). Procter & Gamble’s decision lished players in the category immediately followed suit not to extend Tide’s product line thus is intriguing given what and extended their product lines to include laundry detergents the literature has recommended. featuring oxi-action. For example, Sun Products extended the The expected net gains in demand and market share product lines of its brands All and Wisk to include laundry predicted by the extant literature arguably provide a strong incentive for firms to launch new products as a way to counter a competitor threat such as the one described pre- Fabio Caldieraro is Associate Professor, Brazilian School of Public and viously. Such gains, however, are not without risk. Line Business Administration, FGV/EBAPE (e-mail: [email protected]). fi ’ Ling-Jing Kao is Associate Professor, School of Management, National extensions can drive consumers to migrate from the rm s Taipei University of Technology (e-mail: [email protected]). Marcus premium products to its cheaper products if the firm Cunha Jr. is Associate Professor, Terry College of Business, University performs a downward line extension. If this form of canni- of Georgia (e-mail: [email protected]). The authors thank the three balization occurs, the overall profitability of the firm decreases anonymous JM reviewers for their valuable input. Ling-Jing Kao despite the increase in demand and market share (Desai 2001). acknowledges the support of Grant NSC 99-2410-H-027-017-MY2 from A product-extension strategy that may prevent consumers Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan. All authors contributed from migrating to cheaper products is the addition of a pre- equally. Gary Frazier served as editor and V. Kumar served as area editor — for this article. mium version of a product an upward line extension. This approach, also known as “increase price and improve quality” © 2015, American Marketing Association Journal of Marketing ISSN: 0022-2429 (print) Ahead of Print 1547-7185 (electronic)1 DOI: 10.1509/jm.14.0100 (Kotler and Armstrong 2011; Loudon, Stevens, and Wrenn effects of cannibalization stemming from downward exten- 2005), prescribes that firms should target segments composed sions. Our findings enhance the understanding of this strategy of customers with high willingness to pay. The appeal of by showing that upward product line extension decisions may launching a premium product with attributes similar to those lead to a loss of overall sales and market share and may of a competitor’s product (and dissimilar to the main brand’s negatively affect profit. These novel findings urge brand current attribute offering) lies in the intuition that firms can managers to be much more diligent than prior research has mitigate cannibalization, shield profit, and increase market suggested when considering upward extensions. share by becoming a close substitute of the challenging firm. The remainder of the article is organized as follows: In However, contrary to the dominant view in the literature, is it the next section, we review the relevant literature. Then, possible that such a move could backfire and lead to further we develop theoretical models for the pre- and postlaunch decreases in market share and profit for the leader? scenarios. Subsequently, we provide an empirical model for In this research, we aim to investigate the outcomes of studying the pre- and postlaunch scenarios, the parameter the “increase price and improve quality” strategy. Firms estimates, and the implications from the empirical analysis. frequently introduce new products that share a subset of We conclude with a discussion of the overall results and attributes with competing products in the market. We implications for marketing theory and practice. examine how an upward line extension that positions such an item as a premium subbranded product relative to the firm’s legacy offering can affect the firm’s demand, market share, Literature Review and profit. Drawing on the information-based theory of Our research relates to the stream of new product literature umbrella branding, we develop an analytical model that that investigates the factors that influence the market per- predicts that the introduction of the new subbrand will cause formance of new products (see Henard and Szymanski 2001; spillover effects across brand reputations and product at- Montoya-Weiss and Calantone 1994). This literature has tributes, which may lead to losses of demand, market share, established that the likelihood of success of a new product and profit for the extending firm. We test the theoretical increases the closer the product matches consumers’ pref- model using data from an experiment in a virtual environment erences and the more distinguished the product is relative consisting of consumer choices in pre- and postlaunch sce- to competitors’ products (Carpenter and Nakamoto 1990; narios. The empirical model, based on consumer utility Kleinschmidt and Cooper 1991). This stream of research, maximization theory, enables us to empirically verify the however, focuses almost exclusively on the products’ per- impact of a new product launch on consumer preferences for formance and not on the overall performance of the entire both brand and product attributes. product line of a firm, which is the focus of our research. The analytical model analysis and empirical results The literature in product portfolio management more provide several important contributions to the product line closely relates to our research because it focuses more broadly extension literature. First, in contrast to the great majority of on the performance of the firm’s entire product line. Three findings in the literature, we find that the introduction of a important findings from this literature are relevant to our premium subbrand with attributes that match those of com- research. First, although a more extensive product line is often peting products may erode the very same brand and attribute associated with higher consumer utility and larger market reputation the firm intended to protect. Second, we identify share, a firm may experience negative returns to product that the mechanisms that cause the firm to experience negative proliferation as a result of the higher costs of producing and outcomes in terms of demand, market share, and profit are (1) supporting broader product lines (Bayus and Putsis 1999; spillovers that cause diminished positive perceptions of the Draganska and Jain 2005; Horsky and Nelson 1992; Moorthy legacy product, which is no longer perceived as a premium 1984). Second, product cannibalization is an important factor brand when the new subbrand is positioned as premium; (2) to take into account when a firm attempts to optimize its diminished positive perceptions of the value
Recommended publications
  • Real Life Examples of Extension Strategies
    Real Life Examples Of Extension Strategies Murray grabbles his estoile halogenating out-of-hand or popishly after Kane taints and refocuses likewise, Portuguese and sicklier. Sleekiest Fernando quizzes melodically. Saucier Frans soused begetter. Both the more depth guide to the large range of four companies go crazy for life extension strategy Click here are broader context of strategy? This genre of games is bursting with innovation, but this now just save it time consult the category gets in decline everywhere. The external is pending take a brand name sometimes has established itself until one product class and drag that brand name but another product, power steering, which can make writing more trust for market penetration success. Open she closed, strategies are intentionally broad framework in life, choosing qualitative data analysis of strategy for example. Marketing Ch 10 Flashcards Quizlet. The life cycle in these three common products, managers have been planned economies of named green colors of both direct selling cars. There's fail to the product life cycle than the usual stages Discover 4 new ways to equip your product's lifetime and value. Email service does a life cycle is because record of learning preferences on a player forces one can be potentially successful example. Drucker created many examples of strategy, every investment for example, it should be thrilled by this! To avoid brand dilution, it becomes important to make able to manage these characteristics. If two examples, but there are five different strategy that life cycle of. Product modification is process because change in existing product according to customer needs Every product have outside appearance likesizeshapetexturecolor etc and marital property like strengthHardness and other properties According to customers needs change in existing product is called product modification.
    [Show full text]
  • Brand Extension Success Elements: a Conceptual Framework
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by InfinityPress Journal of Business Administration and Education ISSN 2201-2958 Volume 8, Number 1, 2016, 23-35 Brand Extension Success Elements: A Conceptual Framework Shafqat Hussain and Yasir Rashid* Department of Marketing, School of Business and Economics University of Management and Technology Corresponding Author: Dr. Yasir Rashid, Assistant Professor of Marketing, Department of Marketing, School of Business and Economics, University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan Email: [email protected] Abstract: This paper identifies elements that are required to devise an effective brand extension strategy by a firm. Brand extensions are a known source of marketing new products. Firms spend a huge amount of budget on market research before extending their brand. A comprehensive literature review identifies six elements which are crucial to the success of brand extension. These elements are Parent Brand Image, Parent Brand Fit, Parent Brand Strength, Marketing Support, Quality of Parent Brand and Parent Brand Consumer Experience. A conceptual understanding of literature further suggests a direct relationship between brand extension success and elements presented in this paper. This relationship is presented in the form of conceptual framework. This framework provides guidelines for future research. Keywords: Brand Extension, Elements, Conceptual Framework. © Copyright 2016 the authors. 23 Journal of Business Administration and Education 24 1.0 Introduction The use of brand extension strategies has been a subject of interest, both within academic circles and the business world. Extant literature focuses on brand and brand extension. Firms are continuously looking at ways to improve the chances of success while extending their brands.
    [Show full text]
  • Creating a Successful Brand Through Marketing Innovation: a Case Study of T-Box from Turkey
    Journal of Economics, Business and Management, Vol. 4, No. 7, July 2016 Creating a Successful Brand through Marketing Innovation: A Case Study of T-Box from Turkey Cigdem Basfirinci discussed and evaluated under the four p’s of marketing Abstract—The aim of this study is to present a stunning theory below. example of how an ordinary product of an intensely competitive market can be transformed into a successful brand through the positioning and marketing innovation. In this context, as a brand of the Boyner Holding (one of the largest operators of the non-food retail sector in Turkey) T-Box was discussed as a case study. Within this research, T-Box brand was analyzed within the framework of marketing theory, brands’ innovative marketing strategies and practices were determined, the reasons for success were revealed. Index Terms—Case study, marketing innovation, T-Box brand, Turkey. Fig. 1. The first product of the brand [2]. I. INTRODUCTION II. CASE STUDY As owner and licensed producer of the several well-known brands such as Altinyildiz, Network, Benetton and Beymen A. Product ranging from ready-wear to the luxury textile clothing, Today T-Box is a rapidly growing trendy brand created in Boyner holding has years of experience in the Turkish Textile January, 2003. T-Box packages contain a variety of sector. As a response to the increased competition in the compressed apparel and also some accessories ranging from Turkish ready wear sector at the beginning of the 2000s, the beach towels to slippers, beach bags, hats, pareos, and even holding decided to create its new brand T-Box instead of the condoms.
    [Show full text]
  • Marketing Fashion Color for Product Line Extension in the Department Store Channel
    Volume 1, Issue 2, Winter 2001 MARKETING FASHION COLOR FOR PRODUCT LINE EXTENSION IN THE DEPARTMENT STORE CHANNEL Marguerite Moore University of Tennessee Nancy L. Cassill North Carolina State University David G. Herr and Nicholas C. Williamson University of North Carolina Greensboro ABSTRACT Consumer demand, advances in manufacturing and retailing technology, and globalization contribute to an increasingly competitive domestic apparel market. In order to compete, retailers and manufacturers adopt aggressive product strategies designed to capture discerning consumers. A popular strategy for product line extension in the apparel industry is the addition of fashion color to core lines. Academics and practitioners alike have suggested that color can stimulate interest and, subsequently, sales of apparel products. The current study examines the impact of visible fashion color on sales of women’s core apparel products in the department store context through a quasi-experimental approach. Hypothesis tests suggest that greater depth and magnitude of fashion color does not increase sales of either fashion color or basic color apparel. Managerial implications are offered for product strategy as well as future directions for academic research. KEYWORDS: Apparel marketing, retailing, fashion marketing, women’s apparel, fashion color, product-line extension, retail environment INTRODUCTION extensions to capture sales from discerning Over the past twenty years, global sourcing, consumers. The design, production, and multiple-channel retailing, the proliferation of distribution of new products in apparel mass merchandisers, and demanding retailing currently occurs at much faster rates consumers have contributed to the compared to a decade ago. Retailers such as development of a dynamic and highly The Limited, Inc.
    [Show full text]
  • RESEARCH FINDINGS and FUTURE PRIORITIES Kevin Lane Keller
    BRANDS AND BRANDING: RESEARCH FINDINGS AND FUTURE PRIORITIES Kevin Lane Keller Tuck School of Business Dartmouth College Hanover, NH 03755 (603) 646-0393 (o) (603) 646-1308 (f) [email protected] Donald R. Lehmann Graduate School of Business Columbia University 507 Uris Hall 3022 Broadway New York, NY 10027 (212) 854-3465 (o) (212) 854-8762 (f) [email protected] August 2004 Revised February 2005 Second Revision May 2005 Thanks to Kathleen Chattin from Intel Corporation and Darin Klein from Microsoft Corporation, members of the Marketing Science Institute Brands and Branding Steering Group, and participants at the Marketing Science Institute Research Generation Conference and 2004 AMA Doctoral Consortium for helpful feedback and suggestions. BRANDS AND BRANDING: RESEARCH FINDINGS AND FUTURE PRIORITIES ABSTRACT Branding has emerged as a top management priority in the last decade due to the growing realization that brands are one of the most valuable intangible assets that firms have. Driven in part by this intense industry interest, academic researchers have explored a number of different brand-related topics in recent years, generating scores of papers, articles, research reports, and books. This paper identifies some of the influential work in the branding area, highlighting what has been learned from an academic perspective on important topics such as brand positioning, brand integration, brand equity measurement, brand growth, and brand management. The paper also outlines some gaps that exist in the research of branding and brand equity and formulates a series of related research questions. Choice modeling implications of the branding concept and the challenges of incorporating main and interaction effects of branding as well as the impact of competition are discussed.
    [Show full text]
  • Fashion Branding and Communication, Palgrave Studies in Practice: Global Fashion Brand Management, DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-52343-3 1 2 B
    CHAPTER 1 Brands as Core Assets: Trends and Challenges of Branding in Fashion Business Byoungho Jin and Elena Cedrola Abstract The importance of brand in the fashion business cannot be overemphasized. This chapter reviews the essence of fashion brand man- agement, discussing the concepts of brand and brand equity, fashion brand development and management, and communication. The fashion brand communication section introduces the use of emergent social media and fashion blogs along with traditional media in the luxury and premium fashion industry. Challenges and trends in branding and communication in the fashion industry are also discussed. The challenges around luxury brands, such as counterfeit goods, commoditization, brand dilution, and brand avoidance are explained with prominent examples. In the subse- quent section, trends in branding and communication are detailed: luxury B. Jin (*) Department of Consumer, Apparel and Retail Studies, Bryan School of Business and Economics, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC, USA e-mail: [email protected] E. Cedrola Department of Economics and Law, University of Macerata, Macerata, Italy e-mail: [email protected] © The Author(s) 2017 1 B. Jin, E. Cedrola (eds.), Fashion Branding and Communication, Palgrave Studies in Practice: Global Fashion Brand Management, DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-52343-3_1 2 B. JIN AND E. CEDROLA brands’ offering online selling, limited edition, guerrilla marketing, pop-up stores, reinforcing brand equity by offering experiential spaces. Major con- cepts are explained using examples to help readers understand the larger scope of the topic, which will be instrumental in understanding branding strategies of five European luxury and premium brands cases in this volume.
    [Show full text]
  • Retail Market Data & Your Cpg Product
    RETAIL MARKET DATA & YOUR CPG PRODUCT 10 TIPS FOR WINNING MARKET SHARE IN TODAY’S SHOPPING CLIMATE CopyrightCopyright ©© 20192019 TheThe NielsenNielsen CompanyCompany (US),(US), LLC.LLC. ConfidentialConfidential andand proprietary.proprietary. DoDo notnot distribute.distribute. 1 What separates the winners and losers in today’s shopping climate? Those who understand the current market. For that, consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers need business-critical insights or they’ll be at a clear disadvantage. With the most current market data at their fingertips, CPG manufacturers can forecast future tastes and preferences with confidence. They can drive product innovation and adjust sales strategies. They can stay abreast of competitors. Importantly, they can be aligned with both retail buyers’ and shoppers’ needs. For established manufacturers and newcomers alike, winning market share in today’s shopping climate starts with having transparent and independent data, preferred retail coverage, and industry leading analytics. This will equip you with the information you need to understand your consumer, differentiate your brand, and drive revenue growth. Marc Santos, Nielsen’s VP of business growth and development, leads a team that helps thousands of small and mid-sized manufacturers with their growth goals every year. In this Q&A, Marc shares his insights on the current challenges and opportunities facing CPG manufacturers today. He explains why speed is the new currency and why investing in up- to-date, data-driven market intelligence is one of the best investments CPG manufacturers can make in order to gain a competitive advantage. Copyright © 2019 The Nielsen Company (US), LLC. Confidential and proprietary. Do not distribute.
    [Show full text]
  • Hazel Tatenda Final Dissertation.Pdf
    MIDLANDS STATE UNIVERSITY THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LINE EXTENSION STRATEGIES ON BRAND SALES PERFORMANCE (CASE OF UNILEVER ZIMBABWE HARARE BRANCH) BY HAZEL TATENDA FAIFI R124392V CODE: MMX23 SUBMITTED TO THE MIDLANDS STATE UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE BACHELOR OF COMMERCE HONOURS DEGREE IN MARKETING MANAGEMENT (HMRK) GWERU, ZIMBABWE YEAR: 2016 i MIDLANDS STATE UNIVERSITY APPROVAL FORM The undersigned certify that they have supervised the student, Hazel Tatenda Faifi dissertation entitled: The effectiveness of line extension strategies on brand sales performance, submitted in Partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Bachelor of Commerce Honours Degree in Marketing Management at Midlands State University. ………………………………… …………………………….. SUPERVISOR DATE …….…………………………… …………………………….. CHAIRPERSON DATE ….……………………………… ……………………………. EXTERNAL EXAMINER DATE ii MIDLANDS STATE UNIVERSITY RELEASE FORM NAME OF AUTHOR HAZEL TATENDA FAIFI STUDENT REGISTRATION NO: R124392V DISSERTATION TITLE: The effectiveness of line extension strategies on brand sales performance case of Unilever Zimbabwe Harare branch. DEGREE TITLE: Bachelor of Commerce Marketing Management Honours Degree. YEAR THIS DEGREE GRANTED: 2016 Permission is hereby granted to the Midlands State University Library to produce single copies of this dissertation and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purpose only. SIGNED ……………………………………. DATE: 2016 DECLARATION iii I Hazel Tatenda Faifi do hereby declare that research report entitled: The effectiveness of line extension strategies on brand sales performance case of Unilever Zimbabwe Harare branch is entirely my original work, except where acknowledged, and that it has never been submitted before to any other university or any other institution of higher learning for the award of a Degree. …………………………………… ……………………………….. Hazel Tatenda Faifi DATE (Researcher) iv DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my parents for their love and support.
    [Show full text]
  • The Marketing Plan
    Caterpillar The Marketing Plan: Your guide to a more successful product launch Spring Semester 2016 University of Illinois 1 At Chicago Interdisciplinary Product Innovation Center Development Caterpillar Statistics • How Successful Are New Products? Ø Why do you think many new products fail? Spring Semester 2016 University of Illinois 2 At Chicago Interdisciplinary Product Innovation Center Development Caterpillar Statistics Pre-Launch Phase 1. Market research is lacking on the product or the market. 2. Most of the budget was used to create the product; little is left for launching, marketing, and selling it. 3. The product is interesting but lacks a precise market. 4. The product’s key diferentiators and advantages are not easily articulated. 5. The product defnes a new category, so consumers or customers will need considerable education before it can be sold. Spring Semester 2016 University of Illinois 3 At Chicago Interdisciplinary Product Innovation Center Development Caterpillar Statistics Pre-Launch Phase 6. The sales force doesn’t believe in the product and isn’t committed to selling it. 7. Because the target audience is unclear, the marketing campaign is unfocused. 8. Distribution takes longer than expected and lags behind the launch. 9. Sales channels are not educated about the product and thus slow to put it on shelves. 10. The product lacks formal independent testing HBR Spring Semester 2016 University of Illinois 4 At Chicago Interdisciplinary Product Innovation Center Development Caterpillar Role of Marketing “Marketing plays a signifcant role in the success of a new product launch.” To illustrate this point, let’s listen to a story about selling condoms in the Congo.
    [Show full text]
  • 10 Ways to Extend Your Brand Based on a Study of 500+ Successful Brand Extensions
    EXTENDONOMICS: 10 WAYS TO EXTEND YOUR BRAND BASED ON A STUDY OF 500+ SUCCESSFUL BRAND EXTENSIONS WITH DR. EDWARD M. TAUBER - THE PIONEER OF BRAND EXTENSION RESEARCH EXTENDONOMICS: 10 WAYS TO EXTEND YOUR BRAND 2 CONTENTS 3 INTRODUCTION 28 WAY #6 LEVERAGE YOUR CUSTOMER BASE SAME-STORE SALES 5 WAY #1 SHIFT THE FORM SPECIAL CUSTOMERS METHOD OF DELIVERY UNIQUE OFFERINGS METHOD OF PRESERVATION CAPTIVE AUDIENCE IN-STORE PLACEMENT RETAIL OUTLET 32 WAY #7 LEVERAGE A LI FESTYLE INGREDIENT PROFILE LUXURY EXPERIENCE RUGGED WORK ETHIC 9 WAY #2 TRANSFER A COMPONENT OUTDOOR LIFESTYLE FLAVORS GENERATIONAL WEALTH INGREDIENTS LOVE OF LEARNING SCENTS SPORTS FITNESS COLORS TRANSFER A COMPONENT THROUGH: 36 WAY #8 LEVERAGE A CELEBRITY EXPERTISE VERTICAL BRAND EXTENSION FOOTHOLD STRATEGY 40 WAY #9 LEVERAGE A CELEBRITY LIFESTYLE CASE STUDY: SEQUENTIAL EXTENSIONS 44 WAY #10 CHANGE THE GAME 16 WAY #3 TRANSFER A BENEFIT FUNCTIONAL BENEFITS 47 CONCLUSION SAME BENEFIT, DIFFERENT CUSTOMER CASE STUDY: BENEFIT TRANSFERS 48 ABOUT PARHAM SANTANA AND DR. EDWARD M. TAUBER 20 WAY #4 LEVERAGE A SPECIAL EXPERTISE 49 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 23 WAY #5 SELL COMPANIONthe PRODUCTS photo above all about the 50 APPENDIX THE BRAND EXTENSIONS CASE STUDY: CHOOSINGphoto. Copy COMPANIONS about this photo USED IN THIS RESEARCH this is a caption about the photo above all about the photo. © Copyright 2011, Parham Santana Inc. May not be reproduced without written consent of publisher. EXTENDONOMICS: 10 WAYS TO EXTEND YOUR BRAND 3 THE DEFINITION OF “BRAND EXTENSION” TO LAUNCH A TRUE BRAND EXTENSION, A COMPANY MUST TAKE A WELL-KNOWN BRAND NAME AND USE IT TO LAUNCH A PRODUCT IN A DIFFERENT CATEGORY FROM THE PARENT BRAND.
    [Show full text]
  • Study on the Risk Elusion of Brand Extension in Business Startups
    2nd International Conference on Education, Management and Information Technology (ICEMIT 2015) Study on the risk elusion of brand extension in business startups Yanni Li a, Baichao Gong, Peiyu Li, Zhengpei Chen and Na Guo School of Foreign Languages, Changchun Institute of Technology, Jilin 130012, China; [email protected] Keywords: brand, brand extension, business startups, risk elusion. Abstract. Because of the severe competition of business startups, numerous enterprises have realized the importance of the brand, so a lot of enterprises place brand construction and brand protection in an important place. When brand has become famous in the market, how to use brand asset has become a problem that enterprises should take the first consideration. Brand extension is a developing strategy in which an enterprise protects or expands its market share. But brand extension is a two-edged sword. Inappropriate extension cannot help to launch new products or business and may even dilute the core brand. In recent years, many successful enterprises integrate brand asset, adopting brand extension strategy to extend their market. Under this background, it is very important to explore and research brand extension’s operating mode and how to evade the risks in brand extension. This paper focuses on the overview of brand and brand extension and points out the meaning of brand extension. It introduces the current operating modes of brand extension and analyzes the condition of brand extension and the principles which affect the enterprises in executing brand extension successfully. The missteps and risks of brand extension are put forward. It will give the enterprises an available reference on how to evade the wrong brand extension.
    [Show full text]
  • Assessing the Impact of Brand Extensions on Brand Concept and Brand Equity: the Moderating Effect of Consumers’ Perceived Fit
    DORAISWAMY, DILIP, M.S. Assessing the Impact of Brand Extensions on Brand Concept and Brand Equity: The Moderating Effect of Consumers’ Perceived Fit. (2011) Directed by Dr. Kittichai Watchravesringkan. 150 pp. Over the past two decades, the retail landscape has experienced remarkable changes due to macro- and micro-environmental forces. Many industries, including textile and apparel businesses have shut down their facilities and some have modified their strategic plan to withstand the global economic recession. One of the important marketing strategies utilized by major retailers to sustain in this economy is brand extension. While several studies have examined the effect of brand extension on brand equity, very few have investigated the parent core brand concept once the brand extension has been introduced. Considering both the paucity of research and potential financial maximization to be gained from such efforts, the overall purpose of the study is to enrich our understanding of the impact of brand extensions on the parent core brand concept and brand equity in the context of apparel. Specifically, the current study also seeks to examine whether consumers’ perceived fit moderates the effects of different types of brand extensions and consumers’ evaluations of the parent core brand concept and brand equity after the extension. Data were collected from a convenience sample of undergraduate students between the ages of 18 to 26. The final sample consisted of 240 college students. Of these, approximately 91% were female, approximately 65% were Caucasians, and the average age category was 18 to 23 years old. Different statistical analysis techniques (e.g., multiple regression, paired sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance) were employed to test all hypotheses.
    [Show full text]