Abstract Based on the construal level theory, the authors propose that the relative importance of the quality of the parent brand and the fit between that brand and the extension is influenced by the length of time between the new product’s preannouncing and its launching. Three studies found that the longer the length of the time, the more importance consumer would give to the quality of the parent brand in his new product evaluation; the shorter the length of the time, the more importance consumer would give to the fit between the brand and the extension. This relationship is moderated by the consumer-brand relationship quality.
