Extensions
Extensions
• Brand
Management
Professor Carl Mela System
BA 460 Product Management • On Building
Fuqua School of Business A Brand
• Managing
Across
Brands
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Agenda
• Why Extend?
• Problems With Extensions
• When to Extend?
• How to Extend?
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Brand Extensions
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Why Extend?
• Facilitate new product acceptance
– Reduced risk to consumers and trade
– More efficient promotions
– One stop solutions
– Variety seeking and multiple segments
– Trading up / converting
– Scale economies
– Usurp shelf space / please trade
• Benefits parent brand and firm
– Enhance image
– Attracts new customers
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Problems with Extensions
• Effects on Brand
– Retailer resistance
– Failure hurts parent brand
– Weakens associations of parent
– Forego chance to develop new brand
– Cannibalization
– Reduced focus on star brands
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Problems with Extensions
• Effects on Consumer
– Confuse customers
– Disturb loyalty patterns built over years
• Effect on Firm
– Copy catting by other brands
– Costs (inventory, time, production)
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When to Extend
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How to Extend
1. Ascertain what consumers know and like about parent
brand.
2. Identify possible pertinent extensions
3. Evaluate extensions
Assess what associations port to extension
Assess relevant internal (fit) & external (e.g., competition) factors
4. Develop marketing programs & brand elements
5. Measure success and effect on parent
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How to Extend
Super-Brand
Comfort Inn adds
Sleep and Quality
Brand Hierarchy
Brand
Brand
Bundling
Parent Brand Bridging
e.g., Ingredient
e.g, Endorsement
Brands
Sub-Brand
e.g., flavors
• Brand Extensions
– Very alluring
• Cheap, effective
– But be wary
• Adverse effects on parent brand
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