Over the last decades, an increasing number of international companies havestrived to capitalize on the value of their most real and marketable assets:their brands. Urged to withstand the pressure of intensifying global competition,various managers have thus chosen to pursue growth strategies basedon the exploitation of equity inherent in their existing brands.Brand extensions defined as the use of established brand names to penetratenew product categories have become the preferred strategic alternative forsuch business expansion.While there is a large number of successful brand extensions substantiatingthe strategy's popularity, there have also been significant marketplace failuresof newly launched extension products.Which factors determine the potential success of an extension? What has tobe taken into account when implementing a brand extension strategy? Theauthoress Carolin Wobben answers these questions by illustrating and analysingthe relevant determinants of success and by giving guidelines for theplanning and realisation of a brand extension strategy.The paper is addressed to Marketing students who look for a compedious insightinto the topic of brand extensions as well as to strategic decision-makersof all companies.