Rebranding: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Rebranding is the process by which a finished or near-finished product or service developed with one brand or company or product line affiliation is marketed or distributed with a different identity. This can be done purposefully or out of necessity.

Often, rebranding is necessary when one company acquires another, along with its products. For example, Norton CleanSweep, now a part of the Norton SystemWorks product was originally Quarterdeck CleanSweep prior to Symantec's acquisition of Quarterdeck in November 1998. Much of Microsoft's product line consists of rebranded products, including MS-DOS, FoxPro and Visio.

Rebranding can also be used for market segmentation purposes. Dexxa computer mice are rebranded Logitech devices sold at a lower price by Logitech in the low-end market segment without undercutting their mid-range products. Rebranding in this manner allows one set of engineering and QA to be used to create multiple products with minimal modifications and additional expense.