The Construal of Brand Extensions: the Effects of Abstract Vs. Concrete Mindsets on Product Judgement and Evaluation

Based on Construal Level Theory we tested the assumption that depending on people’s mindset (abstract vs. concrete) judgement of perceived similarity and evaluation would be based on different dimensions. Data from two studies suggest that participants in an abstract mindset base their judgement of similarity and their overall evaluation on shared high-level features of the brand’s prototypical product and the new product (i.e. main purpose). Participants in a concrete mindset however, additionally base their judgment of similarity and their overall evaluation on shared low-level features of the brand’s prototypical product and the new product (i.e. composition).

Citation:

Leonie Reunter and Michaela Wänke (2011) ,"The Construal of Brand Extensions: the Effects of Abstract Vs. Concrete Mindsets on Product Judgement and Evaluation", in E - European Advances in Consumer Research Volume 9, eds. Alan Bradshaw, Chris Hackley, and Pauline Maclaran, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 574-575.