Fast Magazine’s Best and Worst Brand Extensions of 2008

Brand extension is “the application of a brand beyond its initial range of products, or outside of its category. This becomes possible when the brand image and attributes have contributed to a perception with the consumer where the brand and not the product is the decision driver”

Fast Magazine published in an article their choice of best and worst brand extensions of last year:

Top best extensions:

  • Coppertone sunglasses
  • Mr. Clean Performance Car Washes
  • Juicy Crittoure (a pampered pet line of doggie duds)
  • Zagat physician ratings

Worst extensions:

  • Burger King men’s apparel
  • Kellogg’s hip-hop streetwear
  • Kanye West trip-booking web site
  • La-Z-Boy spas

Full article here.

Top Brand Extensions

Brand extension is a marketing strategy in which a firm that markets a product with a well-developed image uses the same brand name but in a different product category. Brands use this as a strategy to increase and leverage equity.

Product extensions, on the other hand, are versions of the same parent product that serve a segment of the target market and increase the variety of an offering. An example of a product extension is Coke vs. Diet Coke

A successful brand helps a company enter new product categories more easily.
Continue reading