[This below would make for an interesting in-class exercise/discussion: how might students re-do the new brand architecture that Dell is moving to, for its laptops?]
According to a PC World article in January 2025, https://www.pcworld.com/article/2567199/dell-drops-xps-inspiron-and-latitude-brands.html, Dell is changing its brand architecture for its laptops. Quoting:
Dell has spent decades creating its laptop sub-brands “XPS,” “Inspiron,” and “Latitude.” Starting in 2025, though, Dell laptops and desktops will just be… Dell. “There’s just one brand,” said executive Sam Burd. “Dell.”
The actual designs that Dell has been working on aren’t going away. So, for example, the XPS 13 that’s been a staple of high-end laptops for years isn’t being discontinued, and it isn’t even being replaced with a new model. It’s just that the 2025 version will be called the “Dell 13 Plus.” (Although there’s no direct 13-inch model equivalent available at launch. The 14-incher is the smallest in the non-superlative Dell line.)
Dell also isn’t doing away with the Alienware sub-brand, which it purchased in 2006. Alienware gaming models will, apparently, keep their specific names, such as “Area 51” and “Aurora.” Monitor names seem to be
unaffected, too, so the “UltraSharp” line will still exist.
On top of that, you’ll continue to see older designs sold under their original nomenclature while Dell clears out its existing lines — the XPS 13 and Inspiron 15 models from 2023 and 2024 will still be sold under those names for the time being.
Now, let’s break down Dell’s new and allegedly simpler branding. You’ll see three tiers of products overall going forward: Dell (no extras or superlatives), Dell Pro, and Dell Pro Max.
The regular Dell tier is for standard consumers and students, “designed for play, school, and work.” This will encompass machines formerly labelled Inspiron or ones that had no specific branding even before this change. Dell Pro is “designed for professional-grade productivity.” (Weird that “work” was included in the previous tier and not here, but anyway…) This is where the Latitude line and similar products will end up. Meanwhile, Dell Pro Max is the absolute cream of the crop and will be the landing spot for Dell’s “maximum performance”.
Seems pretty straightforward, huh? Not so fast!
Under each tier, computers will also be split up into three more sub-categories.
Base is, well, the base model with no extras (though presumably it’ll still be customizable to some degree using Dell’s long-standing online ordering system). Plus is a step above that, for pre-configured machines that have a few extras like a better screen, RAM, CPU, storage, and maybe a discrete graphics card. Premium is the top-end model in each tier, presumably maxed out (or nearly so) in every configurable category.
If you remember your elementary school times tables, that’s nine different labels for Dell computers starting in 2025, from simply “Dell Base” (if these models will even be differentiated) all the way up to “Dell Pro Max Premium.” Which doesn’t even include the differentiator for a specific model. In other words, the pinnacle business-focused laptop that’s also packing the maximum power and capability would seemingly be the “Dell14 Pro Max Premium.” Hooray, it’s so simple.
"Building and Managing Strong Brands" Content Updates (Rajeev Batra) 