Beyond fit and attitude: The effect of emotional attachment on consumer responses to brand extensions

In two studies employing fictitious and real brands, this paper shows that brand attachment goes beyond attitude and fit in determining consumers' behavioral reactions to brand extensions such as purchase intentions, willingness to pay, word-of-mouth, and forgiveness. The effect is pronounced at high and moderate, but not low levels of fit. The paper also shows that attachment has an impact on the extent to which the extension is categorized as a member of the parent brand family, which partially mediates attachment's effects.