Many strong brands have taken the route of Brand Extension to new launches. Herein, there is a need to translate the goodwill a brand possesses onto the products to which the brand has been extended. On the other hand, studies show that consumers tend to relate to brands using a self-congruity evaluation method. Given this, a brand has to communicate a Personality and an Identity (ID) which synchronizes with the self-image of the consumer. Empirical studies show that only such brands are successful in gaining the consumers acceptance. Furthermore, a normal brand ID can be defined as that ID which is most acceptable for a given brand. Then it follows that any deviation from the normal brand ID becomes unacceptable, and therefore creates an abnormal brand ID. It can be conjectured by any of the parameters like personality, image or benefits. It is possible to have a positive affect by extending the brand to an abnormal ID, but this Bad Boy image is not always successful. It is safer, therefore, not to extend the brand beyond the normal brand ID, i.e., Hyperextend the brand. Surmise to say that Brand Hyperextension can cause Brand Hyperventilation!

Successful marketing revolves round the evolution of successful brands. The marketer's Nirvana is in her ability to achieve the Cult Brand Status for her product. A successful cult brand is distinctive yet universal in its appeal. This is the paradox of branding. It is a classic problem solving contradiction, between standing out and blending in. Inability to resolve such a contradiction can result in a fall for a brand into the hells fire of mediocrity and the mundane, a marketer’s worst nightmare. The question remains, how a brand can gain the acceptance of its target segment.

Most brands have a specific target audience in perspective while others manage to be more universal in their appeal. It all depends upon the nature of the product and the marketing strategy of the firm in question. But the fact remains that the need is to identify the distinguishing characteristics of the target segment to be able to strike the right chord with that particular segment. Therefore, the key to understanding brand personality lies in how the human personality is formed, this will consequently lead to a better understanding of brand identity.

Personality theorists have long studied the various aspects of the human persona, and two broad ways of understanding a personality have emerged. One approach is the Trait Theory of Personality or the Dispositional theory and the other being Person-Situation theory.