Seagate To Pursue Dual-Brand Strategy

Following its December 2005 purchase of Maxtor, Seagate is setting out to differentiate the two brands to attendees of the Consumer Electronics Show at Las Vegas. Its Maxtor line would focus on storage and backup needs, while Seagate drives will focus on data mobility.

Even before the acquisition, Maxtor focused on data backup applications. In 2001, the company was responsible for creating one of the first one-touch backup systems for consumers. Through a new consumer campaign, Seagate plans to show off those strengths.

Seagate drives would be differentiated for their data mobility capabilities. The company plans to offer a program called FreeAgent, which would ease the process of data migration between devices. In addition, online storage would also be offered to drive owners.

"The whole idea with our dual-brand strategy is to clearly differentiate our Seagate and Maxtor brands for different market and customer needs and preferences," vice president and general manager Jim Druckrey said. "Seagate is all about your freedom and Maxtor is about saving your digital life."

According to Seagate, the company is the first in the storage industry to implement a dual-brand strategy. Through clearly differentiating each line, the company says it hopes to gain market share.

The first drives through this new initiative are expected to begin arriving in February, the company said.