Adolescent Evaluations of Brand Extensions: The Influence of Reference Group

This study examines the reference group effect on adolescent evaluations of brand extension. Three factors are important to this process: the product fit between parent and extension category (similar vs. dissimilar), the consumption type of the extension product (public vs. private), and the parent brand image (prestige-oriented vs. functional-oriented). An experiment with 217 teenagers generally supports the hypotheses. Results suggest that adolescents are willing to pay a higher price premium to publicly consumed brand extension product than a privately consumed. In addition, the level of category similarity enhances the consumption type effect. Managerial implications on brand extension strategy in adolescent's market are discussed.