Competition among fashion companies is growing keen as result of globalization of fashion markets. For this reason, many companies use the brand extension as a method of brand management.
The study of the fashion brand extension about the character...
Competition among fashion companies is growing keen as result of globalization of fashion markets. For this reason, many companies use the brand extension as a method of brand management.
The study of the fashion brand extension about the characteristic of parent brand and about the perceived similarities between parent brands in extending fashion brand has been conducted for a long time. However, there are few researches on brand extension related to the potential impact of the competitive structure.
Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of dominant brands and quality variation among brands in the extension product category in brand extension and consumer's self-construals on their attitude about extension products.
The experimental design of this study is composed of three-way complex
factors of 2(dominant brand in the extension product category : existing vs non-existing) × 2(quality variation among brands in the extension product category : high vs low) × 2(self-construals : independent vs interdependent).
We conducted the questionnaires targeting 226 women of 20's~40's who have bought women's clothing. T-test, three-way variables analysis, simple mutual interaction analysis, and simple main effect analysis are used for this study.
The results were as follows:
1. When there is fashion brand extension, whether or not existing dominant brand in the extension product category, the quality variation among brands in the extension product category and the types of consumer's self-construals have no significant interaction effect on their perceived quality of the extension products. However, whether or not existing dominant brand in the extension product category and the quality variation among brands in the extension product category have statistically a significant interaction effect on consumer's perceived quality of extension products.
Concretely, in both existing dominant brand in the extension product category and non-existing, the participants evaluate the perceived quality of extension products higher when the quality variation among brands in the extension product category is low than when it is high.
2. When there is fashion brand extension, whether or not existing dominant brand in the extension product category, the quality variation among brand in the extension product category and the types of consumer's self-consruals have a significant interaction effect on their favorableness about the extension products. Namely, the group who have interdependent self-construal, in both existing dominant brand in the extension product category and non-existing, evaluate the extension products more favorably when the quality variation among brands in the extension product category is low than when it is high.
On the other hand, regardless of the presence of dominant brand in the extension product category, the group who have independent self-construal show no significant difference about the favorableness of the extension products.
3. When there is fashion brand extension, whether or not existing dominant brands in the extension product category, the quality variation among brands in the extension product category and the types of consumer' self-consutruals have a significant interaction effect on their intention to purchase the extension products. In both existing dominant brand in the extension product category and non-existing, the group who have interdependent self-construal show higher intention to purchase the extension products when the quality variation among brands in the extension product category is low than when it is high.
On the other hand, the group who have independent self-construal, in both existing dominant brand in the extension product category and non-existing, show no significant difference of the intention to purchase the extension products.
In conclusion, when fashion companies extend their brand, consumers need to be grouped by their self-construal. That is to say, it is efficient to enlarge the market of the non-existing dominant brand in the extension product category for the group who have interdependent self-construal. In addition, when dominant brand in the extension product category exists and the quality variation is low,
the effect on the dominant brand will be reduced. Therefore, marketers can plan a marketing strategy by their own product differentiation.
But the group who have independent self-construal, in both existing dominant brand in the extension product category and non-existing, they show no significant difference of their attitude toward the extension products.
As a result, fashion companies can make their extension products be favorably attracted by providing the consumers with independent self-construsl with the massages related to the information of product attributes or individual benefit.