Temporal Construal, Categorization Processes, and Brand Extension Evaluation

Two objects can be grouped into a category based on either their perceptual similarity (feature matching) or conceptual coherence (underlying cause). In one study, we identified temporal construal as a moderator of the use of these two bases (perceptual vs. conceptual) for classifying objects into a category. In another study, we extended our findings to develop successful brand extension strategy for dissimilar extensions (e.g., Heineken resort) or extensions which have little similarity to the parent brands.