The Effect of Hotel Brand Image on the Attitude toward Brand Extension

In spite of the growing importance of brand extension strategy, research of the effect of parent brand image on attitude toward brand extension has been sparse. In the context of the brand extension research explaining that consumers assess brand extension based on the degree to which the brand image of the original brand is consistent with one of the extended brand, this study investigates the effect of original hotel brand image on attitude toward brand extension, grounded on the signal theory and categorization theory to fill the gap in the hospitality literature. In addition, this study examines the gender effect on the relationship between brand image and attitude toward brand extension by comparing male and female groups in terms of both the significance and magnitude of brand image variables’ regression coefficients. The results of analysis show a positive effect of original brand image on the attitude toward brand extension. Regarding the results of between two groups, functional brand image and symbolic brand image have significant effects on attitude toward brand extension only in the female group. In addition, only the magnitude of symbolic brand image’s effect on attitude toward brand extension is different according to gender. This research will provide meaningful marketing insights for targeting and positioning based on the gender difference regarding consumers’ attitude toward extended brand in the context of the hotel industry.