Why do some companies manufacture their products under a different brand name?

Question

An example is Hellman's. West of the Mississippi or west of the Rockies it is called Best Foods.

Is there some legal reason why the name is different on some products (not just Hellman's)? Or is there some other reason?

Answer 1

Some companies do this deliberately to create the illusion of competition. They will put out three varieties of something under three different names in the same market. Sounds goofy, but it's an effective technique.

The other reason companies sometimes use different names is that they have bought out a local company that has a strong local following, and they don't want to alienate those custmers, so they keep the name and just put  different label on their product.

Answer 2

Sometimes when two companies merge or one buys the other they keep the original name because that product already has a following, instead of changing the name and starting from scratch.