fictionalrebranding

Fictionalrebranding refers to the portrayal of a brand's identity change within a fictional work. It includes changes to name, logo, packaging, slogan, or brand values, and may be presented as an in-universe corporate campaign or as meta-narrative commentary.

Authors use fictional rebranding for storytelling, world-building, satire, and character development. It can reflect shifts in power, culture, technology, or ethics in the story's world, and can align with franchise timing or cross-media campaigns.

Common methods include in-universe product rollouts, press releases, advertisements within the narrative, redesigned visuals in maps or props, and dialogue explaining the rationale. The change is often introduced gradually across episodes or installments to signal plot progression.

Fictional rebranding can enhance realism by mirroring real-world branding dynamics but risks distracting readers if overused or poorly integrated. It invites analysis of brand ethics, consumer culture, and corporate influence within the fiction.

In related fields, it intersects with branding, marketing in fiction, product placement, and transmedia storytelling. It is studied as a device for setting, theming, and social commentary, while remaining distinct from the direct advertising of the real world.