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Implicit personality theory in evaluation of brand extensions
1University of Massachusetts-Amherst, USA. keflaher@som.umass.edu
Psychological Reports
|July 6, 2000
Summary
Consumers' implicit personality theory influences brand transference. Entity theorists transfer parent brand opinions more readily to extensions than incremental theorists, especially when perceived fit is low.
Area of Science:
- Consumer Behavior
- Marketing Psychology
Background:
- Brand transference is key to brand extension success.
- Consumer transference varies based on implicit personality theory (entity vs. incremental).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how consumers' implicit personality theory impacts brand transference.
- To analyze the role of perceived fit in moderating this effect.
Main Methods:
- Laboratory experiment with 100 undergraduates.
- Assessed attitude, perceived fit, risk, product involvement, and implicit personality theory.
- Analyzed ratings for brand extension evaluations.
Main Results:
- Entity theorists showed significantly higher brand transference than incremental theorists.
- Incremental theorists relied less on parent brand information for new extension evaluations.
- The effect of implicit personality theory on transference was not observed when perceived fit was high.
Conclusions:
- Consumers' implicit personality theories significantly influence brand transference.
- Perceived fit moderates the impact of personality theory on brand extension evaluations.
- Understanding these psychological factors is crucial for effective brand extension strategies.