Krishnan (2006), “Effects of Prototype and Exemplar Fit on Brand Extension Evaluations: A Two-Process Contingency Model

The brand extension literature suggests that consumers will favorably evaluate a brand extension when (a) it has high fit with the brand and (b) the brand has positive evaluations. We suggest that when a brand operates in multiple product domains, extension evaluations are more complex than have been conceptualized, and favorable consumer responses may result even in the absence of the above two conditions. Our two-process contingency model proposes two dimensions of fit (brand prototype fit and product exemplar fit) and two evaluative processes (top-down and parallel attitude transfer) that drive extension evaluations in different ways, depending on the level of cognitive resources. Three empirical studies found consistent support for the model. Brand extension evaluations have been an important re-search domain in the last decade (Keller 2002). Much theoretical work is based on an attitude-transfer model, which suggests that when an extension fits with the brand, a consumer’s attitude toward the brand will transfer to her attitude toward the extension (Aaker and Keller 1990). Hence, positive brand attitudes and high fit have been as-sumed as two necessary conditions for successful extensions (Keller 2002). Most empirical evidence for the attitude-transfer model comes from studying extensions of a single-product brand (see Keller [2002] for review). Yet a brand may have mul-tiple product categories before entering another domain. For example, when it introduced a range of electronic gadgets in 2000, Nike was already operating in categories of athletic shoes, apparel, and watches. Thus, for a broad brand like Nike, multiple referent points may be used as the basis for judging an extension. Consequently, fit perceptions and at-*Huifang Ma