To fit or not to fit The importance of consistency on the Internet WORKING PAPER 0711

As the web emerged, almost every traditional offline brand created its own website. Two strategies were mainly pursued by brick-and-mortar companies: some translated their brand with the corresponding name, image and values to the website and others created a new brand name to exist on the net. As the expression of a brand on the Internet is not really limited, it is not evident that the image perceived by the website visitors is consistent with the brand image they have, generated by previous experiences with the brand. The aim of this research is to explore how the perception of consistency between brand image and website image affects brand attitude. Results show a moderating effect of perceived consistency on the relation between website and brand attitude.