Measuring Brand Meaning

Brand extensions constitute an estimated 95% of the 16,000 launched in the United States every year. In the research described here, the authors introduce a categorization-based procedure to help marketers identify key elements of a brand's meaning for purposes of extension.

Measuring Brand Meaning

Gillian Oakenfull, Edward Blair, Betsy Gelb, and Peter Dacin

Brand extensions constitute an estimated 95% of the 16,000 new products launched in the United States every year, according to Murphy (1997). Extensions are popular because they can provide new products with a ready-made image while helping existing products through increased brand exposure. However, extending a brand name to inappropriate products may result in product failure and/or reduced brand value.

In the research described here, we introduce a categorization-based procedure to help marketers identify...

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