Meaning & use
piggybacking in business
Last updated
Meanings
phrase
A business strategy where a company uses another company's success, audience, or distribution network to promote its own products or services.
Grammar: This is a fixed noun phrase. It is usually used after 'is' or 'as': 'Piggybacking in business is common.'
Patterns
- piggybacking in business on something
- use piggybacking in business to do something
Small startups often rely on piggybacking in business to reach customers without a large advertising budget.
Piggybacking in business can mean placing your product next to a popular brand in the same store.
The airline used piggybacking in business by partnering with a hotel chain to offer package deals.
phrasedisapproving
The act of one company benefiting from another company's reputation, customer base, or resources without a formal partnership.
Grammar: Often used with 'by' or 'through' to explain the method: 'They grew by piggybacking in business on social media trends.'
Patterns
- piggybacking in business on someone's success
- accused of piggybacking in business
Some critics say the firm is just piggybacking in business on the fame of its larger rival.
Piggybacking in business without permission can lead to legal trouble.
He was accused of piggybacking in business after copying a competitor's marketing campaign.
Common combinations
- piggybacking in business on
- The app succeeded by piggybacking in business on the popularity of the phone maker.
- accused of piggybacking in business
- The company was accused of piggybacking in business when it used a celebrity's image without paying.
- piggybacking in business strategy
- Their piggybacking in business strategy involved selling coffee in a bookstore.
- form of piggybacking in business
- Co-branding is a common form of piggybacking in business.
Synonyms and how they differ
- piggyback marketing
- A more specific term for the marketing version of this strategy; it often implies a formal agreement.
- riding on someone's coattails
- An informal idiom that focuses on benefiting from another's success, often with a negative tone.
Word family
- piggyback verb
- To use something that already exists or is already going, as a way to achieve something.
Commonly confused: piggybacking in business or piggy bank?
piggybacking in business vs piggy bank
A container for saving coins, not related to business strategy.
Practice
The startup grew quickly by ______ the popularity of the major social media platform.
Choose one answer.
The correct preposition after 'piggybacking in business' is 'on', meaning to use something as a base. 'With' suggests a partnership, 'for' suggests purpose, and 'to' would need a verb after it.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “piggybacking in business”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.