The effects of sensory fit on consumer evaluations of co-branding

Abstract

While previous co-branding research sheds light on the effects of perceived fit between partner brands, the findings have been limited to only two types of perceived fit: product category and brand image fit. This research suggests the importance of sensory fit and examines how it affects evaluations of co-branding. Three experiments were conducted to reveal the effects of sensory fit on consumer evaluations of co-branding. The findings demonstrate that sensory fit significantly influences the evaluation of co-branding (Experiments 1, 2, and 3). In addition, it shows stronger effects when the co-branded product is a low- (vs. high-) involvement product (Experiment 2). Further, the findings suggest that the sensory fit effect is stronger for high-involvement and hedonic products (Experiment 3). These findings provide additional empirical evidence for the theoretical explanations of the fit effect in the branding literature and managerial insights into the design of effective collaboration between brands.

Keywords:

• Co-branding
• perceived fit
• sensory fit
• colour
• laboratory experiment

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by a faculty research grant from the College of Liberal Arts at Korea University in 2017.

Notes on contributors

Jungyong Ahn

Jungyong Ahn is a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Psychology, Korea University. His research focuses on brand management, consumer-brand relationships, new media advertising, and artificial intelligence (AI) in consumer behavior.

Ahyeon Kim

Ahyeon Kim is a doctoral student at the Department of Psychology, Korea University. Her research focuses on consumer and advertising psychology, especially marketing and advertising in new media, and AI and human interaction.

Yongjun Sung

Yongjun Sung is a professor of psychology at the Department of Psychology, Korea University. His research focuses on self-concept, brand personality, brand management, digital media, and artificial intelligence (AI). He has authored or co-authored over 100 articles in leading referred journals including International Journal of Advertising, Journal of Consumer Psychology, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, Psychology & Marketing, Journal of Advertising, Journal of Brand Management, among others.