Packaging is the last communication element brands have with consumers on the purchasing decision process. In this case, many consumers didn’t recognize the product on supermarket shelves. 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. Even that can be sort with a kick-ass marketing campaign. Orange juice is a literal commodity (any unit is essentially indistinguishable from any other unit). Meanwhile, Tropicana’s competitors took advantage of the “Tropicana crisis” and gained the sales lost by the fruit juice brands. Tropicana was a dumb change. 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. 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. Tropicana’s consumers didn’t recognize or like the new product design, and therefore decided not to purchase it. “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. I don’t associate fresh orange juice with hugs and squeezing my family 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. Your opinion about the packaging designs and posters is very interesting. Thank you for the nice and informative post. A few days later, consumers started criticizing the new design, especially on social networks. However, this new packaging design was rejected and criticized by the majority of Tropicana’s consumers. The mission of advertising is to inform and communicate sensations that will last in the long-term. 4. 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 Tropicana’s seasonal on-pack design is rolling out in-store this month across 950ml, 1.4l and 1.6l formats. Your email address will not be published. Caroline Wilding, Marketing Manager Tropicana UK, commented: “This year, we have seen shoppers turn to brands they love and trust. Both the packaging design and the advertising campaign were created by the same agency; Arnell. Branding for political parties: The 2015 UK General Elections analyzed by Siegel+Gale, The Top Branding Agencies In The World [2020]. 1-800 ORANGE JUICE. 7. 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. 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. More… UnderConsideration is a graphic design firm generating its own projects, initiatives, and content while taking on limited client work. As for the posters, I don’t associate juice with hugs. The main image is a glass filled with orange juice - emblematic of the 8 oz. 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. Tropicana’s limited period Christmas packs will once again give shoppers that festive feel-good factor this winter.”. Unlike packaging design from scratch, repackaging is to walking a fine line: how to appeal to new consumer groups while retaining the old ones! “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.”. 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. 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. It is important to always consider this before making changes to packaging designs. Their new packaging is much cleaner and un-descript when compared to the previous design. The original design makes me think of orange juice. 3. it is really hard to read type that runs vertical (I have even had ads rejected for that from publications in the past) The new design was very different but in that case it worked because they targeted a totally new type of people. The Tropicana case does prove that packaging makes a big difference in some way! “…What was fascinating was that we had never shown the product called the juice.”. My preference was hidden in small type; the cartons no longer differentiated on the shelves. I never underestimate the power of consumers, they feel connected with tropicana somehow. After its package redesign, sales of the Tropicana … Those posters just make me go WTF?? Very insightful article! It really depends on the case, and on the brand. There’s a reason for that. That decision alone should have been an indicator that those in charge were clueless. 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. 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. Hi Marion, It;s very amazing Packaging ideas i really love it Thanks. They’ll get you killed, every time. We will try to write about the Herbal Essence packaging case soon! Indeed, the packaging is the silent sales rep on the shelf, and we should not underestimate it’s power. Starting next month, Tropicana will bring back cartons with the familiar logo of a straw stuck into an orange. This will ensure consumers accept the change in a positive manner! 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. Who the heck cares? Tropicana invested 35 million dollars in an advertising campaign that promoted the new packaging for the fruit juice brand. 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. Props to Debbie Millman for the original design! Brand New, is a division of UnderConsideration, displaying opinions, and focusing solely, on corporate and brand identity work. In fact, the new packaging released by Tropicana this year had a sour effect on customers. Brand Packaging (August 2009). Happy to hear your comments! 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. Very interesting insights. 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. 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. “We wanted to take the orange and put it somewhere. The agency decided then to take the orange and move it to the lid of the bottle. Then, it was faced with a new equity, that was built through years of television spots, of a straw in an orange. Thank you for your comment Steven! Unfortunately for Tropicana, their new packaging and branding design was a major flop and was completely rejected by their customers. However, there are some communication codes to each domain that need to be respected. “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. PepsiCo has replaced its white opaque jug with a new clear container for its multi-serve Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice. Tropicana released a new advertising campaign along with its packaging strategy. It walked away from a brilliant visual metaphor of drinking right from the orange. They should have tested the new packaging and advertising with current customers and customers from the competition. 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. Tropicana Rolls Out New Festive Packaging. […] Those consumers are very important to us, so we responded.” explained Mr. Campbell, president at Tropicana North America in Chicago. Time to reassess relative competitive appeal vs competing brands in the category that ‘stay the same’. Caroline Wilding, Marketing Manager Tropicana UK, commented: “This year, we have seen shoppers turn to brands they love and trust. 2. 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”. 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. For me it is a bold move and the attention to details are much appreciated. One aspect of the new Tropicana packaging is being salvaged: plastic caps for the cartons shaped and colored like oranges. 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. The new packaging design is sleek and simple, focusing on the quality of the contents and the health benefits of orange juice. Beware the Smartest One In The Room, folks. Thanks to you for guidance an amazing way. 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. This sounds useful if the design can also help enforce your brand so that it can be easily recognized. The brand opted to trade in the traditional font and logo for a more modern and updated look. Meeting a client’s needs can present unusual challenges. 1. 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. Of course, this only applies for successful brands such as Tropicana. Tropicana launched the new packaging for its best-selling product in North America in January of 2009. That’s asking for trouble. for all the marketers this is an amazing case study to read it before any re-branding brainstorming session. Don’t you think this should a critical step to a methodical procedure intended to leverage brand value? Anyway, that is what I learned from my college professor many years ago and so I have always followed that advice. Our culture moves very quickly these days and progressive consumers reward brands that make smart changes. I ended up not buying any orange juice for awhile. The fruit identifies the product. The focus on “100% Orange” instead of “Pure Premium”. Why the about face? Thank you for such a great article. Some people described the new packaging as “ugly” or “stupid,” and said that it resembled “a generic bargain brand” or a “store brand.” It is very important to consider the role of packaging design in branding, and its link with merchandising. By continuing to use the website site you agree to our use of cookies. The website reports on the importance of branding within marketing strategies and how it empowers organizations and shapes consumer behavior around the world. It's considered a packaging redesign failure dubbed the "Tropicana Crisis". 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. When Tropicana tried to change things up, customers revolted, and they lost a fifth of their sales in a matter of weeks. This is based on a case study by The Branding Journal. My initial response to the packaging was: I love Tropicana. First of all let’s summarize the facts to better understand the reasons for this packaging failure. Two months later, sales dropped by 20%, and this spectacular decrease in sales represented a lost of 30 million dollars for Tropicana. Unfortunately, so many Pepsi folks still hold onto the scars of this experience and resist change to a fault. It impedes the ability to greatly elevate their brands. If your brand and product are not doing well, a total rebrand can be a good solution to save the product on the market. Such evocative visual meaning is rare. First, I did not get any lead about using consumer research to test the effects of such a change, before committing to it. 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. The Tropicana redesign illustrated the considerable power of packaging. And the new packaging made it hard for me to buy it. Delicious! So you get what you want and what you love. 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. Fruit juice brand Tropicana has kicked off the Christmas season with the roll-out of a new festive pack design across its core range. “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. 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. Thank you for your wonderful blog. In fact, we’ve seen many cases (Herbal Essences comes to mind) in which significant packaging changes have driven sales. I’d like to call the attention to a few aspects. Tropicana unveiled new packaging in January in the 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. Consumers began criticizing the new design a few days later, particularly 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. It’s really a helpful blog for us. Through advertising, companies have more time and support to communicate emotions and new values. Tropicana’s two new high-speed packaging lines meant big changes for two operating facilities. Thanks for sharing! The changes need to be done progressively to ensure the consumer will still recognize the brand. There was also no designation like pulp or pulp free product which makes consumers difficult to choose the right product. 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 … To find out more, visit the cookies section of our privacy policy here. 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. A great example is the Herbal Essences’ packaging redesign after changing their target market. It is a more flexible communication support over time. Not all equities are assets. 10th November 2020. I think a lot of your recommendations are far too general. Would the brand owners then say, “no, too much of a change”? The juice is yellow. Do not hesitate to share your views again on other articles of the site . 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. I’m currently learning marketing and this is a good read for me so thank you =) Product variations are easily distinguished at a glance. In total, this initiative cost Tropicana more than 50 million dollars. – Marketing Journal: Young Scott y Ciummo Vicenzo. Advertising and packaging design are very different communication tools. I agree the brand copy, visuals are not related to rebranded packaging. PepsiCo Launches Reusable Packaging Pilot for Tropicana Orange Juice and Quaker Cruesli in Paris.