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Brand extension, the use of an existing brand name on a new product, is an exceedingly popular marketing tactic as companies attempt to economise on new product launches and managers attempt to improve short run sales results. Review and analysis of current marketing research concludes that popular claims for general benefits of the practice are contradicted both by marketplace evidence and logical argument. Directions of future research to determine whether any specific conditions exist where brand extension might be an appropriate brand management tactic are outlined.

Examines the negative impacts of brand extension failure upon the original brand by calibrating the difference of brand equity. Using data collected from college students in Taiwan, establishes four hypotheses to identify various effects of a failed brand extension in diluting the original brand’s equity. Analyzes the different effects among four types of equity‐source brands for both close and distant extensions. Equity‐source and equity level of the original brand is identified first. All components of brand equity‐source are then used to evaluate the performance of a brand extension. Finds that an unsuccessful brand extension dilutes the original brand for all three high equity‐source brands. Effects of brand dilution differ according to the type of equity source possessed by the original brand, but there is no difference in brand dilution effects from close and distant extension failures.

Examines the inherent risks of brand extension alongside empirical evidence of the success rates of brand extensions compared with brand‐name product launches. Concludes that the brand extension is justifiable only when it can be clearly shown to enhance the success of a new product launch and existing brand equity. Puts forward a number of rules for the appropriate use of brand extension.

This paper reports a replication of Broniarczyk and Alba’s study of the influence of brand‐specific associations on brand extensions. The results broadly support the original study showing brand‐specific associations ( i.e. attributes which differentiate a brand from the competition)can dominate the effects of the parent brand to the point where they reverse extension evaluations. Thus the study provides further evidence to challenge the commonly held assumption that the effect associated with the original brand name and product category is automatically transferred to the brand extension.

The purpose of this paper is to conduct a series of tests designed to highlight changes in the physical characteristics of the yarn resulting from mechanical efforts comparable to that to which they are subjected on the weaving machine. Among the physical properties of the warp yarn, the authors examined changes include: the residual deformation, strength, elongation and elasticity, on the extender repetition effort overtension growing steadily, leading, after some time, to break. Therefore, the yarn treated extender repetition is subject to a more severe test than the actual weaving on the loom.

The initial length of the specimen under constant static load of 20 g, was 50 cm in all tests. The yarns are stored on several coils, the authors collected a quantity of thread on each of them, according to the law of chance, to avoid errors due to long periods of irregularity and the authors estimated that the extensions can be supported by the wire without danger of rupture are interesting practical point of view. Three rate extensions were chosen for the two yarns: 0.5, 1.2 and 1.9 percent. The maximum number of tractions was calculated for each wire by multiplying the maximum thread count practice by the average distance between the warp beam and the weft yarn on the weaving machine.

The fall of the resistance and elongation resulting from repeated extensions which yarn are subjected on the extensometer, corresponds almost exactly to the residual deformation recorded. Increasing the rate of extensions causes relatively large decrease in strength and elongation. The authors also notice that the strength and elongation at break tends to decrease when the number of extensions decreases. The fall of the resistance and the elongation at break is more important for carded yarns then combed yarns increases or when the frequency decreases.

The maximum difference of the resistance is 32 g, 10.3 percent in the case of carded yarns, while in the case of the combed yarns; the same difference is 25 g, or 6.4 percent of the initial strength. Similarly, the maximum fall of the elongation at break for carded yarns is about 2 or 16.1 percent of the initial elongation, while the corresponding drop in the case of the combed yarns is 1.8 or 10.9 percent of the initial elongation. The corresponding values found during the testing wool combed yarns, were, respectively about 4.8 and 6.6 percent.

Low-fit brand extensions offer several potential benefits, yet their success is challenging. Building on construal level theory, this study aims to investigate how different advertising appeals can improve the evaluations of low-fit brand extensions through two different processes (cognitive and affective).

Two experiments were conducted with US consumers. Study 1 used a 2 (extension fit: high, low) × 2 (ad appeal: abstract, concrete) between-subjects design. Study 2 applied a 2 (brand associations: promotion, prevention) × 2 (ad appeal: promotion, prevention) between-subjects design. Multivariate analyses and follow-up means comparisons were used to analyse data.

Study 1 found that an abstract ad appeal is more effective for promoting low-fit brand extension because it improves the perception of fit. Study 2 showed promotion vs prevention ad appeals lead to better evaluation of low-fit brand extensions when matched with parent brand associations (promotion vs prevention) in terms of construal level. This matching effect is underpinned by processing fluency.

Ad appeals can influence low-fit brand extension evaluation by influencing the perception of fit (cognitive process) or processing fluency (affective process). Future research could consider different ad appeals and other construal related factors to generalise these findings.

Marketers can design different ad appeals to effectively advertise low-fit brand extensions. These findings can guide managers in the development of effective advertising strategies.

This research offers a new perspective on how ad appeals can enhance low-fit brand extension evaluation.

Downward line extension is a valuable growth strategy that enables multiple products and services to meet diverse customer needs. However, downward extended products launched by high-status brands may be challenged by horizontal extended products launched by relatively low-status brands when these two types of products target similar consumers. This study aims to examine the impact of product type (horizontal extended versus downward extended) on consumers’ purchase intentions, the underlying mechanism and the moderating role of power distance belief.

Four scenario-based experiments were conducted to probe the research questions.

Consumers develop lower purchase intentions for downward (versus horizontal) extended products due to the reduction of perceived fit and self-congruity (Study 1). Beyond that, power distance belief moderates the impact of product type on consumers’ purchase intentions, as a low power distance belief reduces the negative effect of downward line extension (Studies 2a, 2b and 2c). Perceived fit and self-congruity mediate the interaction effect between product type and power distance belief on consumers’ purchase intentions (Study 2c).

This study provides marketing practitioners with guidance on implementing the strategy of downward line extension.

This study serves as a preliminary effort to compare consumers’ responses between downward and horizontal extended products, which deepens the understanding of downward line extension. It also contributes to the body of knowledge about line extension and power distance belief by demonstrating the moderating role of power distance belief in a line extension context.

This study explores the influence of heritage brand extension on consumer purchase intention and analyses the effects of pop culture involvement. The extension of heritage brands is becoming increasingly difficult because such an extension needs to be consistent with the unique characteristics of brands and resonate with consumers. However, few scholars discuss the influence of consumers' level of pop culture involvement on brand extension and purchasing behaviour.

Taking time-honoured brands as an example, this study established a conceptual model based on a comprehensive review of the literature, and then tested the model using a sample of 255 respondents who were familiar with one of the selected Chinese time-honoured brands. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the relationships amongst brand extension fit, pop culture involvement, perceived value and purchase intention.

Time-honoured brand extension fit has a positive impact on consumer purchase intention, and this path is significantly influenced by the mediation mechanisms of perceived value. Situational pop culture involvement can significantly strengthen the relationship between time-honoured brand extension fit and perceived value, whereas enduring pop culture involvement does not.

The results clarify and expand on the different roles of cultural involvement in time-honoured brands and broaden research on the influence of cultural involvement in this regard. This study has significant theoretical value for the inheritance and revival of heritage brands and provides a reference for the practice of time-honoured brands.

This study aims to develop and test a browser extension as a scaffolding tool to guide learners about evaluating online sources.

In total, 129 undergraduate students participated in this experimental study. Both groups completed two Web searching tasks, but the experimental group used a browser extension.

The results indicated that there are significant differences between groups in terms of the number of accurate sources and visited sites. There were no differences neither in the success status nor the access time. The browser extension guidance affected certain search parameters, but this effect seemed to be diminished in accordance with students’ cognitive abilities as well as their digital literacy levels.

The participants were from a vocational school, so any other study with different participants might reveal different findings.

The browser extension is convenient to be used with regards to interface and instructions. It can serve as a self-training tool with small changes in the code. The intervals and types of messages can be customized in line with the users’ needs.

The approach used in this study can contribute to the dissemination of misleading information on the Web. People of any age can use and benefit from this approach via a simple extension.

The extension can serve as a fundamental framework for the construction of adaptive or smart extensions. As this study revealed the importance of both cognitive abilities and digital literacy levels, the extension can be enriched with the inclusion of cognitive scaffolding.

Digital self-expression, recently one of the most important research themes, is currently under-researched. In this context, this study aims to propose a parsimonious research model of self-extension tendency, its drivers and its outcomes. The model is tested in the context of social media engagement intentions (liking, sharing and commenting) with focal brands and across individualist versus collectivist cultures.

The model is tested in two individualist cultures (N = 230 and 232) and two collectivist cultures (N = 232 and 237) by conducting surveys in four countries (Australia, USA, Qatar and India). Nike and Ray-Ban are the focal brands studied, with Facebook serving as the targeted social networking site (SNS) platform.

Self-monitoring and self-esteem are found to drive the self-extension tendency across cultures, with stronger effects in the individualist culture than in the collectivist culture. The self-extension tendency has a relatively stronger positive influence on social media engagement intentions in the individualist culture than in the collectivist culture. This tendency is also found to mediate the link between self-monitoring, self-extension and social media engagement intentions across both cultures, albeit in different ways. In collectivist culture, self-monitoring’s influence on the self-extension tendency is moderated by public self-consciousness. The study’s findings have important theoretical and practical implications. In individualist culture, self-monitoring’s influence on the self-extension tendency is moderated by public self-consciousness.

The present findings confirm that the tendency to incorporate the brand into one’s self-concept and to further extend the self is indeed contingent on one’s cultural background. The role of public self-consciousness may vary between individualist and collectivist cultures, something recommended by past research for empirical testing.

Managers can leverage this research model to entice pro-brand social media engagement by nurturing consumers’ digital selves in terms of maneuvering their self-extension tendency and its drivers, namely, self-monitoring and self-esteem. Second, promoting the self-extension tendency and its drivers varies across cultures, with this finding offering practical cultural nuances supporting marketing managers’ decisions.

This is one of the pioneering studies that tests a cross-cultural parsimonious model based on theories of self-extension, self-monitoring and self-esteem, especially within the context of brand engagement intentions on an SNS platform.