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Brand-Extension Or Self-Extension? Using Avatars To Study The Effects Of Self-Image Congruence On Brand-Extension Evaluation, Mitchell Hamilton

Mitchell Hamilton

This dissertation investigates the effect of self-image on brand-extension evaluation in the context where self-images are influenced by an avatar. Prior studies have demonstrated the positive effects of self-image congruence on brand evaluation. The brand-extension literature has found that the congruency between the parent-brand and the extension influences the brand-extension evaluation, with moderately incongruent extensions having a stronger effect than either highly incongruent or highly congruent extensions. Missing in the past research is the role of congruency in the self-image/brand relationship, within a brand-extension evaluation context. The brand-extension evaluation literature seems to suggest that, while evaluating a brand-extension, the consumer's …