a product distributed, sold, and known nationally, as contrasted with a store brand or generic product. Levi's is a national brand for jeans, whereas Gap does not manufacture jeans, but its stores sell jeans under their own private label.
brand name used by a manufacturer whenever that product is sold. For example, Del Monte is a national brand for food products. In contrast, many marketers offer products under a variety of brand names called private labels, unique to each distributor or retailer. National brand marketing requires greater advertising expenditure on the part of the manufacturer to compete with lowerpriced private label brands. If consumer preference for the national brand is strong, then pricing can be high enough to support the additional advertising and provide the desired profit margin. National brands are often perceived to be of higher quality and can therefore demand a premium price. Many national brands are now experiencing a loss of market share to private label brands as a result of the narrowing quality gap.
