It has already been recalled by Tropicana due to public demand and will revert to the previous style of packaging by early March.
Excerpt from the NY Times article:
The about-face comes after consumers complained about the makeover in letters, e-mail messages and telephone calls and clamored for a return of the original look.
Some of those commenting described the new packaging as “ugly” or “stupid,” and resembling “a generic bargain brand” or a “store brand.”
“Do any of these package-design people actually shop for orange juice?” the writer of one e-mail message asked rhetorically. “Because I do, and the new cartons stink.”
Others described the redesign as making it more difficult to distinguish among the varieties of Tropicana or differentiate Tropicana from other orange juices.
Though this isn't as catastrophic as New Coke was it's still an example of how focus group testing can be misleading for a company. Tropicana stated they just didn't realize how strongly their most loyal customers felt about the brand's packaging because it didn't come out in their research... Oops. Maybe they should have done research among their most loyal customers rather than a bunch of random people who may or may not even buy Tropicana. As a Tropicana lover myself, I most agree with the comment about the new packaging looking like a generic bargain brand. It probably wouldn't make me stop buying it, but I sure wouldn't want to look at it for long.
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2 comments:
One thing I think Tropicana cannot get rid of is the straw in the orange. I have to admit, I don't particularly like their packaging, but you know it's Tropicana if there's a straw in the orange.
That was another point in the article that was made by outraged people. Whether people like it or not, the orange with the straw in it is a huge part of the visual identity of Tropicana's brand and people recognize it.
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