Brand Leveraging: Strategy & Benefits June, 2014 | Page 3

initiatives do not succeed and harm the core brand image. Let us list down risks associated with brand extensions:      Weakens existing brand associations. Makes undesirable attribute associations. The new brand fails to deliver the promise. Unforeseen incidents such as product recall. Cannibalization may occur. Despite the consequences of brand extensions, it still continues to be a popular strategy amongst the marketing professionals. The extension must always be cautiously assessed to avoid any negative impact on the brand equity of the core brand. Co-Branding This approach consists of two established brands working together to promote their products. Co-branding example can be alliances of airlines with credit card companies. Composite products or joint products can be co-branded. The challenge is however choosing the right brand combination and coordination between the two independent companies. However, to avoid brand dilution, leveraging must be restricted to those categories which are directly related to the original product. There are enormous chances of damaging the reputation of the parent brand due to the failure of new products. Reference http://www.researchomatic.com/Products-And-Branding-Strategies-71575.html http://www.researchomatic.com/Branding-And-Expansion-92086.html 2