The boundaries of the Diana brand: Consumers' evaluations of potential extensions

Celebrities can be viewed as a special case of brands. Despite the potential rewards of managing this type of brand effectively, little academic research has been undertaken in this area. Diana, the late Princess of Wales offers an extreme of celebrity since, at the time of her death in 1997, she was the most famous woman in the world. As any other brand, the Diana brand can be viewed as potentially extendible with the scope of the extension limited by the brand's associations. In the wake of public outcry following endorsement of Flora margarine and Lottery scratch cards by the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, this paper explores the boundaries of consumer acceptability for extensions of the Diana brand.