Conceptualisation and Modelling of the Process behind Brand Association Transfer

Abstract

Although the concept of affect transfer has been addressed by many in the literature, the process underlying the transfer of brand associations from parent brands to their extensions is still unclear despite important theoretical and managerial implications. This paper proposes to conceptualise and model the empirical process underlying such transfer. The findings reveal that the capability of a parent brand to transfer specific brand associations to a line extension depends on an optimisation process where strong transfer occurs only when repeated measures of the same associations are not statistically distinct. Conversely, the transfer is limited when the statistical difference is either positive or negative in repeated measures. When the difference is positive, the extension appears to already ‘own’ the association in comparison to the parent brand and when negative the association is not compatible with the extension. The methodological and managerial implications of brand association transfer are discussed.