Product line repositioning refers to changing a product to make it more acceptable to its present market. It refers to a place the product occupies in customers' minds, based on product benefits relative to competitor products. Many marketers confuse marketing and branding. Often, when what a company needs in the short term is to position each brand relative to the market, it instead aims for a new brand positioning.

Branding is what happens after consistent marketing. It is an internal, passive process that takes time, whereas marketing can be defined as activities in the short term. Sometimes repositioning the brand is confused with product line repositioning. Positioning a brand involves differentiating your product from others like it, while product position is a perception. Marketing involves quick communication while branding is a slow and complex process.

Product Line Repositioning vs. Positioning

New products are "positioned." When consumer perception needs to change, products are repositioned; it is a modification of the product or its distribution, promotion, or price. It can be done by changing value while trying to improve target market reach, or to a reach a new market.

Here is the definition of repositioning according to the American Marketing Association's Dictionary of Marketing Terms: "the altering of a current product so as to make it more appealing to the market place. This contrasts with creating a line extension and with repositioning a current product, both of which can be used to achieve the same purpose." When you're considering product line repositioning, decide whether you can achieve the same effect with a line extension. Often this strategy will be more cost-effective and easier to achieve and implement.