I don’t feel anything wrong in it. Consumers Reject New Tropicana Carton PepsiCo, reportedly bowing to consumer demand, is reversing a decision to change the packaging of Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice. […] Those consumers are very important to us, so we responded.” explained Mr. Campbell, president at Tropicana North America in Chicago. When the changes happen to major brands they curse at first and they start to feel that the change is needed and feel proud about it. By continuing to use the website site you agree to our use of cookies. Sales fell by 20% within two months. It is very important to consider the role of packaging design in branding, and its link with merchandising. Their new packaging is much cleaner and un-descript when compared to the previous design. I ended up not buying any orange juice for awhile. To understand this strategy failure, it is important to analyze what did Tropicana change in its packaging design. Meanwhile, Tropicana’s competitors took advantage of the “Tropicana crisis” and gained the sales lost by the fruit juice brands. 1. confusion – couldn’t recognize the brand that I had always trusted On January 8, 2009, the new packaging and accompanying ad campaign was announced, for which Tropicana had paid Arnell $35M. Thanks for sharing! Beware the Smartest One In The Room, folks. Tropicana was a dumb change. We engineered this interesting little squeeze cap here … so that the notion of squeezing the orange was implied ergonomically.”. We will try to write about the Herbal Essence packaging case soon! Not only was the “rebranding” a less than stellar attempt to “modernize” – the BIGGER issue is why ANYONE would spend $35 MILLION to do so. The logo size was also reduced to highlight the message: “100% Orange Pure and Natural”. Informative post. The main image is a glass filled with orange juice - emblematic of the 8 oz. The design is available now across the brand’s 950ml, 1.4-litre, and 1.6-litre bottles, in Smooth Orange, Original Orange, Orange Extra Juicy Bits, and Pressed Apple flavours. “We underestimated the deep emotional bond they had with the original packaging” […]“What we didn’t get was the passion this very loyal small group of consumers have. Advertising and packaging design are very different communication tools. It is important to always consider this before making changes to packaging designs. Solution In order for the cartons to stand out, it was important for Shikatani Lacroix to identify specific brand attributes that would quickly connect with consumers. – Marketing Journal: Young Scott y Ciummo Vicenzo. Happy to hear your comments! This website uses cookies to collect and analyse information on site performance and usage, customise advertisements, and allow you to access content. Thanks to you for guidance an amazing way. I’d like to call the attention to a few aspects. Very insightful article! Required fields are marked *. On January 9th 2009, the PepsiCo-owned brand decided to replace the existing packaging design for its best-selling orange juice with new packaging for the North American market. Anyway, that is what I learned from my college professor many years ago and so I have always followed that advice. The New York Times says that “loyal” Tropicana customers are up in arms about the new packaging, calling it “ugly,” “generic” and claiming that it looks like a store brand. When he launched a new design for Tropicana, Peter Arnell gave a rambling, pseudo-intellectual explanation of the packaging. It is a more flexible communication support over time. The original one was horizontal followed by the product name “Pure Premium”, while the new logo is vertical with a simpler and more modern font. Tropicana launched the new packaging for Tropicana Pure Premium, its best-selling product in North America, on January 8, 2009, with sales revenues of more than $700 million per year. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The new design was very different but in that case it worked because they targeted a totally new type of people. If your brand and product are not doing well, a total rebrand can be a good solution to save the product on the market. Of course, this only applies for successful brands such as Tropicana. Perhaps one of the most important changes is the fact that a big transparent glass full of orange juice replaced the orange and its straw. What was fascinating was that we had never shown the product called the juice.”. Through packaging design, companies need to communicate in a more direct, clear and identifiable manner, as the consumer is about to make its final purchase decision. There was also no designation like pulp or pulp free product which makes consumers difficult to choose the right product. The Branding Journal is an independent online journal that publishes information and resources about branding strategies worldwide. It's considered a packaging redesign failure dubbed the "Tropicana Crisis". Tropicana is an interesting case to prove the importance of both brand recognition and “shiny packaging”. Holding 89 ounces of juice, the extrusion blow molded handleware bottle is easy to pour, easy to open with a new flip-top cap—and fully … Why the about face? Caroline Wilding, Marketing Manager Tropicana UK, commented: “This year, we have seen shoppers turn to brands they love and trust. Tropicana - New Packaging - Complaint Showing 1-49 of 49 messages. The Tropicana case does prove that packaging makes a big difference in some way! It impedes the ability to greatly elevate their brands. And orange with straw replaced by glass. Very interesting case! PepsiCo India has unveiled a new look for Tropicana, its juice brand, announcing that Tropicana offerings will be now available in 200 ml and 500 ml PET bottles. Take a look at Starbucks redesign of Tazo Tea and rethink your advice that only weak brands execute revolutionary redesigns. Tropicana faced a barrage of angry letters, e-mail messages and telephone calls and clamoured en masse for a return to the product’s original look. Two months later, sales dropped by 20%, and this spectacular decrease in sales represented a lost of 30 million dollars for Tropicana. Marion, the only thing missing is an easy to remember consumer contact number i.e. On January 9th 2009, the PepsiCo-owned brand decided to replace the existing packaging design for its best-selling orange juice with new packaging for the North American market. Consumers began criticizing the new design a few days later, particularly on social networks. Those caps will be used, Mr. Campbell said, for cartons of Trop 50, a variety of Tropicana with less sugar and calories that is to be introduced soon. The fruit identifies the product. I don’t associate fresh orange juice with hugs and squeezing my family That decision alone should have been an indicator that those in charge were clueless. ORIGINAL:Text labeling appears along the top sealed edge and across the front, all knocked out of a large, tactfully positioned block of color indicating the type of juice. “Packaging is central to what we do, and right now we’re in a big, big packaging transformation.” That’s how vice president of marketing Memo Maquivar of PepsiCo’s Tropicana Products Division describes Tropicana’s carefully coordinated and lovingly executed move to clear PET containers for all four sizes of its Tropicana Pure Premium (TPP) brand. Tropicana released a new advertising campaign along with its packaging strategy. Branding is a complex subject and it is often difficult to predict the market’s reaction to a strategy change. This will ensure consumers accept the change in a positive manner! Tropicana invested 35 million dollars in an advertising campaign that promoted the new packaging for the fruit juice brand. After redesigning their packaging in 2009, sales for their premium orange juice dropped 19%.This drop in sales can partly be attributed to the change of colors and effects resulting in less bright and shiny packaging which doesn’t stand out as much on the shelf. Perhaps the problem goes beyond this emotional bond consumers had with the old packaging. The changes need to be done progressively to ensure the consumer will still recognize the brand. Tropicana is a very famous brand that sells fruit juice worldwide. The takeaway for marketers and brand strategists should be an even greater respect for packaging and a deeper commitment to leveraging this brand asset with a methodical procedure. For me it is a bold move and the attention to details are much appreciated. It really depends on the case, and on the brand. “Stick a straw in an orange and drink it down” is a superlative visual presentation of an implied benefit. Another important difference between the two packs is the new logo design. One critical issue we need to take into consideration is when you assume your target market is evolving or growing so you need to grow with them without backing this assumption with research. As for the posters, I don’t associate juice with hugs. “Historically, we always show the outside of the orange. – Online: CBS News, NY Times, NY Times (2) On February 23rd 2009, Tropicana announced that it would return to its original packaging design, and within a few months, the old packaging was back for good on all supermarket shelves. An apparently small but vocal group decried the new packaging. The idea is creative and interesting, as we can see that the cap really has the shape and texture of half an orange that you can squeeze to obtain a fresh orange juice. Through advertising, companies have more time and support to communicate emotions and new values. This was the packaging that … The mission of advertising is to inform and communicate sensations that will last in the long-term. Those posters just make me go WTF?? I love Tropicana. The brand opted to trade in the traditional font and logo for a more modern and updated look. Of course, packaging and advertising strategies should always be in line, as with any marketing activity in general. Who the heck cares? You could put it in the Branding Hall of Fame and retire the category. Such evocative visual meaning is rare. I’m currently learning marketing and this is a good read for me so thank you =) Consumers were confused by this new look that made the brand seem to be cheap, as Tropicana had always been perceived as a premium brand. They don’t come much better. Tropicana launched the new packaging for its best-selling product in North America in January of 2009. Caroline Wilding, Marketing Manager Tropicana UK, commented: “This year, we have seen shoppers turn to brands they love and trust. Grocery News, Tools and Training for Key Account Managers (KAMs) working for FMCG manufacturers. Tropicana’s consumers didn’t recognize or like the new product design, and therefore decided not to purchase it. However, I believe that, both from an individual and company-standpoint, we can learn several lessons from Tropicana’s strategic mistake: Consumers have an emotional connection with brands they purchase and can feel betrayed and disappointed if they suddenly can no longer identify with new brand elements of the packaging design. Tropicana Pure Premium, the juice brand with sales revenues totaling more than 700 million dollars per year, was relaunched as a more modern version of the famous brand. The other point is that, although you mention an emotional bond, your precise analysis focuses on the perceptual and attentional processes that make packaging modernization so trick. Unfortunately for Tropicana, their new packaging and branding design was a major flop and was completely rejected by their customers. 2. Tropicana’s seasonal on-pack design is rolling out in-store this month across 950ml, 1.4l and 1.6l formats. Tropicana is a very famous brand that sells fruit juice worldwide. I’ve worked with clients scarred by the Tropicana ordeal and they’ve taken away similar “don’t change too much” lessons. While this was a distinctively negative example, it’s important to keep in mind that this same power does often work in a positive direction. Unlike packaging design from scratch, repackaging is to walking a fine line: how to appeal to new consumer groups while retaining the old ones! At The Branding Journal we like to feature branding success stories, however sometimes analyzing branding failures is even more interesting, as it allows us to learn from past mistakes. Hi Marion, It;s very amazing Packaging ideas i really love it Thanks. One aspect of the new Tropicana packaging is being salvaged: plastic caps for the cartons shaped and colored like oranges. Much has been written about Tropicana these last couple of months since they first introduced the new packaging. Fruit juice brand Tropicana has kicked off the Christmas season with the roll-out of a new festive pack design across its core range. Your opinion about the packaging designs and posters is very interesting. Then, it was faced with a new equity, that was built through years of television spots, of a straw in an orange. Trop traded an asset for a (generic) liability. And I hope you will write more! In fact, we’ve seen many cases (Herbal Essences comes to mind) in which significant packaging changes have driven sales. If you want to redesign your product’s packaging, make sure you do not change everything at once. Some people described the new packaging as “ugly” or “stupid,” and said that it resembled “a generic bargain brand” or a “store brand.” Would the brand owners then say, “no, too much of a change”? 1-800 ORANGE JUICE. “Managing risk in a package redesign: what can we learn from Tropicana? 2. the packaging looked generic and the oj itself looks like “canned” oj – no fiber so I grew suspicious that the product has been “reformulated” to save the company money Reassessing Power-Play Dynamics in Supplier-Retailer Relationships, Suppliers Concerned About Lack Of Collaboration And Engagement From Retailers, Pets At Home Sells Five Specialist Referral Centres For £100m. First of all let’s summarize the facts to better understand the reasons for this packaging failure. Its design and content are essential to the brand because it will influence the consumer’s decision at the last minute. Tropicana’s redesign struggle illustrates the importance of packaging in the overall branding ecosystem. Not all equities are assets. Interesting article about packaging design. Thank you for your comment Steven! In January 2009, Tropicana launched new packaging for their best-selling product that, within two months, led to a 20% sales drop equivalent to a loss of $30 million dollars. and welcome a tone! REDESIGN:Text labeling of the juice type along the top and across the front is inconsistent – one is reversed and one positive – and the thin colored stripe is far less noticeable requiring a greater investment of time and concentration on the part of the shopper. Cheers ! Starting next month, Tropicana will bring back cartons with the familiar logo of a straw stuck into an orange. Hello Alex! Unfortunately, the new package design was immediately and flatly rejected by both customers and brand critics alike—costing Tropicana an additional $33M in lost sales revenue and breeding ill will across the internet. As an end-consumer I would love to sip a real tropicana. As mentioned, the vertical type and absence of heritage brand identification was a significant branding error. But when packaging suddenly changes in a big way, they definitely notice. The new designs had to stand out from other Tropicana lines but still align with the entire Tropicana portfolio. The new packaging design is sleek and simple, focusing on the quality of the contents and the health benefits of orange juice. The new design looked like the generic no-name OJ that’s created by mixing water with concentrate. 4. MasterClass Unveils a New Visual Identity That Underscores Diversity of Thought and Knowledge, Interview With Ken Segall – the Ad Man Who Placed the ‘i’ in iMac, Audio Branding: Now’s the Time for Brands to Invest in Their Sonic Identity, Reuters Events Launches Strategic Marketing USA – Setting the Future of Marketing, Brand Evolution: How to Develop a Non-offensive Brand, Interview with Charlotte Holroyd on Ethical Branding, How To Brand a Podcast – “La Poudre” Case Study. Very interesting insights. The focus on “100% Orange” instead of “Pure Premium”. Our culture moves very quickly these days and progressive consumers reward brands that make smart changes. Young and Ciummo stated in their article that packaging redesigns often come with a small decrease in sales, but this tends to be temporary and has never been as severe as the 20% decrease experienced by Tropicana. I never underestimate the power of consumers, they feel connected with tropicana somehow. However, there are some communication codes to each domain that need to be respected. Some loyal consumers saw the “100% Orange Juice” and asked themselves if the product was still the same as the Tropical Pure Premium they always trusted. Tropicana’s New Packaging (2009) (Image Source) In the new packaging, the name Tropicana was at vertical read which makes extremely difficult for the consumer to read. it’s important to have memorable designs. Fruit juice brand Tropicana has kicked off the Christmas season with the roll-out of a new festive pack design across its core range. New look to a traditional brand, a story for retail. They’ll get you killed, every time. However, this new packaging design was rejected and criticized by the majority of Tropicana’s consumers. References: How Will The RPI Inflation Change Impact You? Tropicana Unveils New ‘Lean’ Juices And Relaunches Functional Range, PepsiCo Launches Increased-Fibre Tropicana Juices, Optimising Opportunities in Discounter Management, Reflections on Seven Years in the GCA Role. A few days later, consumers started criticizing the new design, especially on social networks. The New York Times says that “loyal” Tropicana customers are up in arms about the new packaging, calling it “ugly,” “generic” and claiming that it looks like a store brand. Creative agency Arnell was in charge… 10th November 2020. Yes, it was also about recognizing the brand but, let’s say the brand started with a generic glass of OJ. My preference was hidden in small type; the cartons no longer differentiated on the shelves. 5. In this case, many consumers didn’t recognize the product on supermarket shelves. On January 8th 2009, Tropicana launched the new packaging for its best-selling product in North America – Tropicana Pure Premium, with sales revenues reaching more than 700 million dollars per year. Thank you Claudia! Orange juice is a literal commodity (any unit is essentially indistinguishable from any other unit). That wasn’t something that came out in the research. Tropicana, a PepsiCo brand, well known for selling fruit juice mainly in North America, underwent a complete overhaul of it's packaging and branding for its best-selling orange juice back in in 2009. 7. It walked away from a brilliant visual metaphor of drinking right from the orange. “The whole idea of ‘squeeze,’ ” Mr. Campbell said, is to play up “the functional benefit” of orange juice in providing fruit for people’s daily diets “and the emotional connection people have with Tropicana.”. The website reports on the importance of branding within marketing strategies and how it empowers organizations and shapes consumer behavior around the world. This sounds useful if the design can also help enforce your brand so that it can be easily recognized. My initial response to the packaging was: Tropicana unveiled new packaging in January in the US. Tropicana’s two new high-speed packaging lines meant big changes for two operating facilities. They should have tested the new packaging and advertising with current customers and customers from the competition. These include: To finish, and because the packaging had a more simple design than the original one, most consumers described it as “ugly”, and explained it seemed to be from a low-range supermarket brand. 3. it is really hard to read type that runs vertical (I have even had ads rejected for that from publications in the past) More… UnderConsideration is a graphic design firm generating its own projects, initiatives, and content while taking on limited client work. “We wanted to take the orange and put it somewhere. Tropicana - New Packaging - Complaint: Brooklyn1: 10/1/11 8:16 AM: Lindsay, I attempeted to contact Tropicana by telephone for several days but each time there's a message saying they are having a company meeting Brand New, is a division of UnderConsideration, displaying opinions, and focusing solely, on corporate and brand identity work. And the new packaging made it hard for me to buy it. Vitamin C helps support a healthy immune system – and 100% of your daily vitamin C is in every glass. Meeting a client’s needs can present unusual challenges. The main message communicated in this campaign was “Squeeze, it’s a natural”. Brand Packaging (August 2009). Thank you for your wonderful blog. First, I did not get any lead about using consumer research to test the effects of such a change, before committing to it. After its package redesign, sales of the Tropicana … 6. Thank you for the nice and informative post. So you get what you want and what you love. One of the biggest changes is the replacement of the classic orange which has become a symbol of Tropicana. 4. Indeed, the packaging is the silent sales rep on the shelf, and we should not underestimate it’s power. Unfortunately, so many Pepsi folks still hold onto the scars of this experience and resist change to a fault. Both the packaging design and the advertising campaign were created by the same agency; Arnell. The original design makes me think of orange juice. Customers disliked the new carton design for Tropicana Pure Premium so much the company announced Monday it is pulling the plug on them. Tropicana’s limited period Christmas packs will once again give shoppers that festive feel-good factor this winter.”. Packaging is the last communication element brands have with consumers on the purchasing decision process. According to Neil Campbell, president of Tropicana North America, “We underestimated the deep emotional bond” their most loyal customers have with the brand. PepsiCo Launches Reusable Packaging Pilot for Tropicana Orange Juice and Quaker Cruesli in Paris. In fact, the new packaging released by Tropicana this year had a sour effect on customers. Do not hesitate to share your views again on other articles of the site . Health is my motivation for drinking oj – good source of vitamin C, good fiber, and it neutralizes the bad effects of processed meats (bacon, ham, sausage) if you are eating that at breakfast. I agree the brand copy, visuals are not related to rebranded packaging. There’s a reason for that. In my opinion, the orange with a straw was a clear illustration of what consumers could expect. Even that can be sort with a kick-ass marketing campaign. I remember being annoyed that now I had to compare and study everything on the packaging to try to see if it was even the same orange juice. I think a lot of your recommendations are far too general. It’s really a helpful blog for us. “We thought it would be important to take this brand and bring it or evolve it into a more current or modern state.” stated Peter Arnell, director of the creative agency Arnell in his speech explaining the strategy chosen for the Tropicana product. The agency decided then to take the orange and move it to the lid of the bottle. Very interesting! The great thing about Tropicana Pure Premium® is that taste and nutrition go hand in hand. Last month I wrote about the packaging makeover of Tropicana Fruit Juice.Well after a backlash from loyal customers, last week they decided to switch back to their original packaging. It prevents the nitrates from turning into carcinogenic nitrosomines. No longer looks rich. Branding for political parties: The 2015 UK General Elections analyzed by Siegel+Gale, The Top Branding Agencies In The World [2020]. The Tropicana redesign illustrated the considerable power of packaging. Thank you for sharing such a helpful article. It’s not the amount of change but, rather, the right change. That’s asking for trouble. When Tropicana tried to change things up, customers revolted, and they lost a fifth of their sales in a matter of weeks. “As shoppers look to their favourite food and drink items to enjoy over the festive period, we’re expecting a seasonal spike in ‘Not from Concentrate’ juice sales over the Christmas period. The white carton lacks a defined contour and “hides” on the shelf. To me, the Tropicana case came down to leaving a powerful visual asset for a weak one. PepsiCo has replaced its white opaque jug with a new clear container for its multi-serve Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice. One aspect of the new Tropicana packaging is being salvaged: plastic caps for the cartons, also designed by Arnell, that are shaped and colored like oranges. Pepsico has unveiled a new packaging for its Tropicana juice brand, as well as the addition of two new flavours to its on-the-go range, following research which found that nearly half of all juice is consumed after 10AM. Whether Tropicana really conducted research to that effect or chose to ignore findings before commercializing the new packaging remains unknown. . The juice is yellow. I’m very curious about the Herbal Essence packaging re-design case, I’ve tried searching for the article but can’t find it =(. The redesign broke the customer’s recognition of a familiar consumer packaged goods brand at the point of purchase. In total, this initiative cost Tropicana more than 50 million dollars. for all the marketers this is an amazing case study to read it before any re-branding brainstorming session. the major problem we are facing nowadays with marketers and the re-branding strategies that are not taking into consideration “the packing power” , the shape, the dimensions, the materials, the feeling that comes to a consumer once he recognize the product. This is based on a case study by The Branding Journal. This message goes along with the new advertising campaign launched by the same time, and both the packaging and the ad include the statement “Squeeze, it’s a natural”. Product variations are easily distinguished at a glance. During the festive season, chilled fruit juice category sales accelerate to +121% in comparison to the rest of the year and, as we now move towards Christmas, retailers have a great opportunity to capitalise on this demand. Big brands should indeed take some risks, I totally agree with you – especially with packaging, which is a very powerful tool. Ridiculous. Delicious! The new Tropicana Pure Premium packaging (right) had been on the market less than two months before the company scrapped the redesign. “…What was fascinating was that we had never shown the product called the juice.”. 1. Thank you Marion for the article, it helps me a lot because i just start to studying about branding for business . 3. Time to reassess relative competitive appeal vs competing brands in the category that ‘stay the same’. Don’t you think this should a critical step to a methodical procedure intended to leverage brand value? Tropicana Rolls Out New Festive Packaging. To find out more, visit the cookies section of our privacy policy here. Thank you for such a great article. Fruit juice brand Tropicana has launched a Christmas pack design across its range. The launch of the new packaging was indeed such a failure that Tropicana had to drop it to come back to the original version of the packaging. How Can Sustainable Sourcing For FMCG Reignite Customer Loyalty? Then appeared a series of confusions in consumers’ minds who lost their main reference elements to recognize the product. Keep it up. Do you have any information about? Your email address will not be published. Shame on Arnell and the brand owners for missing that. Tropicana’s 2009 packaging redesign failure is in my eyes one of the most interesting case studies about branding through packaging design. I like a lot of pulp in my oj and it seems like it is getting harder to find that on the shelves Props to Debbie Millman for the original design! Your email address will not be published. To promote the development on the packaging front, they have also launched a new campaign, Hawabaazi Gone, Asli On. In the case of Tropicana, the packaging codes weren’t, and this caused the failure of the new design. A great example is the Herbal Essences’ packaging redesign after changing their target market. “. Conversely I don’t like the imagery of cutting my loved ones in half and squeezing the life out of them for breakfast. What I love is Tropicana juice.