Antecedents and Consequences of Consumers’ Evaluation of Global Brands’ Extensions

Abstract

Drawing theoretical support from categorization theory and associative network theory, the study presents an extended model of global brands’ extension success and its reciprocal transfer effect on core brand image. The results for 558 responses, collected using convenience sampling approach, reveal that brand origin-extension fit and country of manufacturing-extension fit as the drivers of global brands’ extension success are mediated through parent brand-extension fit. Moreover, a positive extension attitude reinforces the consumers’ association with the parent brand. This is possibly the first study of its dominion which empirically validates a new fit construct, namely: country of manufacturing-extension fit, as a key factor in extension success determination.