An Empirical Examination of Stock Market Reactions to Introduction of Co-branded Products

Abstract

This dissertation examines how the stock market reacts to announcements of introduction of co-branded new products. Despite the apparent enthusiasm of practitioners towards co-branding--the practice of using two established brand names on the same product--, there is a dearth of research on if and how co-branding can be effectively leveraged to significantly increase the value added of new products. Whether greater financial rewards accrue to the manufacturer of the co-branded product (i.e. the primary brand parent) or to the partner firm that lends its brand to the co-branded product (i.e. the secondary brand parent), and how these rewards may differ depending on the characteristics of the co-branded product itself are yet unanswered questions. Using data from the consumer packaged goods industry, I empirically examine the extent to which co-branding increases the market value of the parent firms and analyze the determinants of the magnitude of increase in market value for both firms involved in the co-branding alliance.

I present empirical evidence in support of a positive stock market reaction to the introduction of co-branded new products and find that this reaction is greater, on average, than the market reaction to the introduction of single-branded new products. I also show that the consistency between the brand images of the two products, the innovativeness of the product, and the exclusivity of the co-branding relationship significantly impact the market?s reaction to the announcement of new co-branded products. Moreover, these effects manifest both in the short term (i.e., at the time of the announcement) and over a longer time window (i.e., during the year following the announcement). Furthermore, I find that not all types of co-branding partnerships are equal. Composite co-branding (where both brands bring a substantive contribution to the formulation of the new product) results in higher financial rewards to the partners compared to ingredient and endorsement partnerships. The findings provide important managerial guidelines for increasing firm value through co-branding partnerships.