14 of the Most (& Least) Successful Brand Extensions to Inspire Your Own

Hailee Steinfeld is mainly known for her acting chops, but her singing abilities bolster her esteem as a performer and stretch her brand to more audiences and fans. And just like her venture into music, companies often extend their brand to develop new products in industries where they don’t have any market share.Hailee Steinfeld is mainly known for her acting chops, but her singing abilities bolster her esteem as a performer and stretch her brand to more audiences and fans. And just like her venture into music, companies often extend their brand to develop new products in industries where they don’t have any market share. These initiatives are called brand extensions, and they allow companies to leverage their brand awareness and equity to create more revenue streams. In this article, you’ll learn more about what a brand extension is and see examples of extension ideas that could inspire you. Skip to: What a Brand Extension Is Brand Extension Types Brand Health Measures Brand Extension Examples What is a brand extension? Brand extension is a marketing strategy that involves a company using its well-established brand name or image to introduce a new product or product categories to its customer base. This strategy works best when the new product category is related to its parent category and is something consumers and customers want. Many companies use brand extensions because it allows them to leverage their parent brand’s brand awareness and authority to reach new demographics and open up new sales channels. One company that does brand extensions well is Apple. Although Apple started as a technology company that makes only computers (Macs), it soon extended its product line to include music players (iPods), mobile devices (iPhones), and tech accessories (Apple Watch and Earpods). Even though all these new products are different, the extension works because Apple didn’t drift too far from its parent product category. Instead, it leveraged its brand name to make penetrating the market a success. What are the types of brand extensions? Depending on the type of customers you have and what you want to achieve as a brand, you need to decide which brand extension strategy is right for your company. Here are five different extension strategies that could work for you. 1. Line Extension A line extension is when a parent brand launches a new product line in a category already familiar with its customers. With a line extension, brands don’t have to create new categories. An excellent example of a line extension is when soft drink companies introduce new flavors to their existing drink lineup. Other examples could include introducing new scents, sizes, and colors to a product line. 2. Complementary Product Extension Another way an established brand can extend itself is by creating complementary products for its main products. For example, Nike, a sports brand, creates various equipment, wears, and other sport-related products that complement each other. We’ve also seen toothpaste companies use this type of extension for their original brand by adding toothbrushes and