Investigating determinants of brand extension success in a fit and a non-fit scenario

Previous research has shown that creative brand extensions do not necessarily translate into market success. While past studies emphasised the relevance of fit for the success of brand extensions, this paper focuses on the success determinants in both fit and not fit scenarios. From a methodological standpoint, we first conducted a systematic literature review on brand extension to identify relevant determinants. Subsequently, we quantitatively evaluated the influence of the selected determinants on brand extension success in a fit scenario and a non-fit scenario using PLS-SEM study with 350 participants. We observed, regardless of fit, that consumer-specific factors such as consumer innovativeness and category involvement are of higher relevance for the intention to adopt a brand extension than brand-specific factors like brand equity or brand commitment. In contrast, brand-specific factors are only of significant impact in the non-fit scenario. Management practice should see the brand-specific factors as the starting point for measures to reinforce brand extension success.