The aim behind the brand extension is to transfer a set of associations accompanying the parent brand to the extended brand. Any extension, therefore, becomes successful depending upon the nature of the parent brand. All brands do not have the same degree of extendability. Can we extend a brand like Videocon to a product like salt? Or can we extend for that matter Nature Fresh brand to a brand of TV? But how is it that a Pierre Cardin brands appears on shirts as well as pens?

Conventionally, brands are just names put on the products, thus instead of calling flour, we call it  Annapurna. It is not just salt, but Nature Fresh salt. This name at the most identities the product or its manufacturer.  Such brands have no scope for extension, as they are just product brands.

As brands evolve, we can identify its differing composition; say there is one various pickles. Mother’s mango pickle, lime pickle and chilli pickle. The differing composition allows us to extend the brand name to closely related products.

After a period of time, the brand begins to acquire its own independent existence. It has now what we call a brand identity. It is not fettered to the product boundaries. Such a brand has greater possibilities of being extended.

Brand associations may be product oriented. For example, ACC brings to our mind. Cement bags, of good strength, used in construction. Such brands are extended to the product category. They can also be extended to attributes which may be relevant in a different product category. We can select the attribute ‘ strength’  for example from ACC brand, and extend it to an adhesive. Some brands, however, sever such product oriented associations and start reflecting the aspirations of their customers. Cartier reflects high fashion and trendy style. It can be extended to spectacles, shoes, clothes, perfumes, furniture and a host of their products. Here the brand acquires more intangible character. These brands can be extended to dissimilar categories. They connect to the inner urges of the customers.

Gillette is extended to shaving system, shaving gel and after-shave. The  ‘agglomerating glue’  is the shaving products. It determines the success of brand extension.