Tropicana Orange Juice Shrink Containers Again

Tropicana'south 2009 packaging redesign failure is in my eyes one of the most interesting case studies about branding through packaging design.

At The Branding Periodical, we like to feature branding success stories. However analyzing branding failures can sometimes be fifty-fifty more interesting, as information technology allows u.s.a. to larn from past mistakes.

Introduction

Tropicana is a very famous brand that sells fruit juice worldwide. On January ninth, 2009, the PepsiCo-endemic brand decided to supercede the existing packaging pattern for its best-selling orange juice with new packaging for the North American market.

However, this new packaging design was rejected and criticized by the majority of Tropicana'south consumers. The launch of the new packaging was indeed such a failure that Tropicana had to driblet it to come back to the original version of the packaging.

Epitomize of the facts

First of all, let's summarize the facts to better empathise the reasons for this packaging failure.

1. Tropicana invested 35 one thousand thousand dollars in an advertizement campaign that promoted the new packaging for the fruit juice brand. Both the packaging design and the advertising entrada were created by the aforementioned agency: Arnell.

2. On January eighth, 2009, Tropicana launched the new packaging for its best-selling product in North America – Tropicana Pure Premium, with sales revenues reaching more than than 700 one thousand thousand dollars per yr. A few days later, consumers started criticizing the new pattern, specially on social networks. 2 months later, sales dropped past 20%, and this spectacular decrease in sales represented a loss of thirty one thousand thousand dollars for Tropicana.

3. Meanwhile, Tropicana's competitors took advantage of the "Tropicana crunch" and gained the sales lost by the fruit juice brands.

4. On February 23rd, 2009, Tropicana announced that it would return to its original packaging design, and within a few months, the former packaging was back for skillful on all supermarket shelves

5. In total, this initiative cost Tropicana more than 50 million dollars.

Differences between the original packaging and the new one:

To sympathize this strategy failure, it is important to clarify what did Tropicana change in its packaging design.

"We idea it would exist important to take this brand and bring information technology or evolve it into a more current or modernistic state." stated Peter Arnell, director of the artistic bureau Arnell in his voice communication explaining the strategy called for the Tropicana product.

The images:

Peradventure one of the most important changes is the fact that a big transparent glass total of orange juice replaced the orange and its harbinger.

"Historically, we always show the outside of the orange. What was fascinating was that nosotros had never shown the product chosen the juice."

The lid:

The bureau decided to take the orange and motion it to the lid of the bottle. The idea is very creative and interesting, as nosotros can see that the cap really has the shape and texture of half an orangish that you tin can clasp to obtain a fresh orangish juice. This message goes forth with the new advertizement entrada launched by the same time, and both the packaging and the ad include the argument "Squeeze, it'southward a natural".

"Nosotros wanted to take the orange and put it somewhere. We engineered this interesting little squeeze cap here… then that the notion of squeezing the orangish was implied ergonomically."

The logo:

Another important divergence betwixt the two packs is the new logo design.

The original one was horizontal and followed by the production name "Pure Premium", while the new logo is vertical with a simpler and more modern font. The logo size was as well reduced to highlight the message: "100% Orangish Pure and Natural"

The advertising campaign that was released with the new packaging pattern

Tropicana released a new advertizing entrada along with its packaging strategy. The principal message communicated in this entrada was "Squeeze, it'due south a natural".

"The whole idea of 'squeeze,' " Mr. Campbell said, is to play upwardly "the functional do good" of orange juice in providing fruit for people's daily diets "and the emotional connection people have with Tropicana."

Understanding the consumers' reactions: what went incorrect?

Emotional bond with the brand

"Nosotros underestimated the deep emotional bail they had with the original packaging" […]"What we didn't get was the passion this very loyal pocket-size group of consumers accept. That wasn't something that came out in the research. […] Those consumers are very of import to us, and then we responded." explained Mr. Campbell, president at Tropicana Due north America in Chicago.

The role of packaging in purchasing decisions processes

Perhaps the problem goes across this emotional bond consumers had with the old packaging.

It is very of import to consider the role of packaging design in branding and its link with merchandising. Young and Ciummo stated in their article that packaging redesigns oftentimes come up with a modest subtract in sales, but this tends to be temporary and has never been as astringent as the 20% subtract experienced past Tropicana.

In this case, many consumers didn't recognize the production on supermarket shelves. Some loyal consumers saw the "100% Orangish Juice" and asked themselves if the product was all the same the same every bit the Tropical Pure Premium they always trusted. Then appeared a series of confusions in consumers' minds who lost their main reference elements to recognize the product. These include:

• The orangish with the straw
• The original logo
• The focus on "100% Orange" instead of "Pure Premium".

The await and feel of the new design:

Because the packaging had a more uncomplicated design than the original one, almost consumers described it as "ugly", and explained it seemed to be from a low-range supermarket make. Consumers were confused past this new look that made the brand wait inexpensive, considering that Tropicana had always been perceived equally a premium brand.

What to learn from this case study:

Branding is a circuitous subject area and information technology is often hard to predict the market'due south reaction to a strategy change.

Still, I believe that both from an individual and company-standpoint, we can learn several lessons from Tropicana's strategic error:

1. Consumers feel an emotional bond with the appearance of the product and brand they love.

Consumers have an emotional connection with brands they purchase and tin can experience betrayed and disappointed if they all of a sudden tin no longer identify with new brand elements of the packaging design. It is important to always consider this before making changes to packaging designs.

2. Branding elements on packaging cannot all be changed at once

Tropicana, while trying to modernize the brand, didn't respect 1 of the most important branding rules any company should consider: the product identification and recognition past the consumer.
Tropicana changed likewise many brand elements at once. This confused the customers on the moment they wanted to buy orange juice:

• • new logo
  • new typography
  • new slogan
  • new prototype
  • new chapeau

If you want to redesign your product's packaging, brand sure you do not change everything at once. The changes demand to be done progressively to ensure the consumer will still recognize the brand.

Of course, this only applies to successful brands such as Tropicana. If your brand and product are not doing well, a total rebrand can be a good solution to salve the production on the market place. In fact, we've seen many cases (Herbal Essences comes to mind) in which significant packaging changes have driven sales.

3. Packaging is the silent salesman

Packaging is the last advice channel brands have with consumers in the purchasing determination process. Its design and content are essential to the brand because information technology will influence the consumer's decision at the last minute. Tropicana's consumers didn't recognize or like the new product design and therefore decided not to buy it.

4. Advertizement and Packaging Design have different communication rules

Advertising and packaging design are very different communication tools.

• Through advertising, companies accept more than time and support to communicate emotions and new values. The mission of advertising is to inform and communicate sensations that volition last in the long-term. It is a more flexible communication channel over time.
• Through packaging design, companies need to communicate in a more than straight, clear, and identifiable style, as the consumer is about to make its final purchase decision.

Of course, packaging and advertising strategies should always exist in line, equally with any marketing activity in general. However, in that location are some advice codes for each domain that demand to be respected. In the example of Tropicana, the packaging codes weren't, and this caused the failure of the new design.

Conclusion:

The Tropicana redesign illustrated the considerable power of packaging. While this was a distinctively negative instance, information technology's of import to keep in mind that this same power does ofttimes piece of work in a positive direction.

The takeaway for marketers and brand strategists should be even greater respect for packaging design and a deeper commitment to leveraging this brand asset with a methodical procedure. This volition ensure consumers take the change in a positive manner!

References:
– Online: CBS News, NY Times, NY Times (ii)
– Marketing Journal:Young Scott y Ciummo Vicenzo. "Managing adventure in a package redesign: what can nosotros acquire from Tropicana? ". Brand Packaging (Baronial 2009).

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Source: https://www.thebrandingjournal.com/2015/05/what-to-learn-from-tropicanas-packaging-redesign-failure/

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