Extensions work on brand-aholics.

Brand extensions are great for brand-aholics like me. By extending a brand they are allowing customers to remain loyal to their brand without limiting these customers to a single product line. When a customer walks into a store and sees a preferred brand they feel a sense of relief because they have positive experience with this brand and it makes their choice easier. Brand marketers are banking on this familiarity and association to make a brand extension successful. An example of a good brand extension is Polo Ralph Lauren. This brand created a linens and bedding brand extension. I enjoy wearing their clothing and associate them with quality and style so when I walk into a store and see their products I am instantly drawn to continue buying them.

I believe that not all brand extensions are a success. Some brand extensions seem desperate and greedy, like the brand is trying anything they can to make money and forgetting what they stand for and what their main brand positioning is. I think that a good example of negative brand extensions are brand extensions of singers. Take the brand of Hannah Montanna for example. This actress/singer is not just that, she's a brand who has clothing lines, pens, mugs, shoes, etc. All of these extensions seem desperate like they are trying to extract every dollar from her fans that they can. This saturation of the tween market has been over done, and the tweens will find someone more interesting to look up to.