Technological congruence and perceived quality of brand extensions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose and test a series of precepts which explain the role of technology and technology congruence in consumers' perceptions of brand extensions. Design/methodology/approach – A series of relationships between technological congruence and consumer evaluations of brand extensions is proposed. Regression analysis and a series of planned contrasts are employed to test these relationships. Findings – In general, extensions that are higher in overall technology content are perceived as being higher in quality. Higher technology brands benefit from a superordinate brand technology effect. However, this technology content effect is moderated by the congruence/incongruence of the levels of technology of the brands, products, and attributes. Research limitations/implications – The primary limitations of this research are that it focused on a relatively small and homogeneous segment of the population (average age 24) and it tested the effects of technological incongruence only on perceived quality. Practical implications – These results have extensive implications for designing and positioning brand extensions in the market. The implications are particularly salient for brands that are perceived as employing relatively low technology. Originality/value – These results improve one's understanding of customers' responses to brand extensions, particularly when the product or associated attributes are technologically incongruent with the brand.