Markenmanagement als Kategorisierungsproblem

Marketing research is highly concerned with how brands affect the evaluations of their products and vice versa. The present article reviews the relevant marketing literature and criticizes the current focus on a) similarity as the determining variable of categorization, and b) assimilation as the consequence of categorization, which ignores the possibility of contrast effects. Drawing on current models in social psychology on categorization and judgment, in particular models on contrast and assimilation, several studies are reviewed that demonstrate contrast effects in the evaluation of brands and their extensions. In addition, evidence is reviewed how marketing roofs can influence categorization and the evaluation of brands and brand extensions independent of similarity.