marketing disasters

8/11/2019 Marketing Disasters

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Marketing

Disasters

Marketing is

the art of

bringing tocustomers

information

about useful

products and

services. But

unfortunately, even the most clever and

expensive marketing campaign cannot make

customers want something they have no

need for. Here are a few marketing disasters-

products that seemed like a good idea at the

time, but ended up damaging the reputation

and finances of some of the worlds largest

companies.

New Coke

Back in the early !"#s, the $oca $ola $ompany had a problem. %hey were losing

market share to their rival, &epsi $ola. 'hile older drinkers were still loyal to $oke,

their kids were more and more drinking &epsi. $oke decided that something had to

be done. But what(

%he answer was simple) change the recipe of $oke to make it taste more like &epsi.

*f course, that was a great idea+ t least that is what $oca $ola thought at the time.o after much research, a new recipe was formulated, and on pril /, !"0, $oke

announced that, for the first time in !! years, they were changing their recipe.

12ew $oke3, as it was called, was promoted with a huge advertising campaign. But it

was not the advertising that created the most publicity for $oke, it was the consumer

response. 2o one wanted 2ew $oke. Many people thought it was un-merican to

change the recipe, and protests poured into the $oca $ola $ompany. &eople began

talking about 2ew $oke as the biggest marketing mistake in history.

%he thousands of letters and phone calls surprised the company. %hey had no ideahow loyal their customers were. But this loyalty was a problem) 2ew $oke had cost


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the company millions, but now it was killing the companys reputation, and angering

millions of customers. 'hat to do(

*nce again, the answer was simple) give the customers what they want. o after 4!

stormy days, the $oca $ola $ompany announced they were putting 1old $oke3 back

on the market, under the name $oca $ola $lassic. $oke drinkers were once againhappy, and the company learned a very expensive lesson in marketing.

Clear Pepsi?

$oca $ola wasnt the only soft drink maker that tried to give the public something

they didnt want, &epsi $ola made the same mistake.

5n !! market researched showed that consumers trusted products more that were

transparent. %hese products, such as shampoo and soap, were thought to be more

pure, and therefore had better sales than their opa6ue rivals.

%he marketing geniuses at &epsi reasoned that if the public wanted clear shampoo,

they would also want clear soft drinks. %hus was born $rystal $lear &epsi.

$rystal $lear &epsi was marketed as a healthy alternative to regular soft drinks. 5t

was caffiene free and was supposed to have a uni6ue flavor. 7nfortunately, $rystal

$lear &epsi tasted very much like normal &epsi.

fter an expensive advertising campaign, $rystal $lear &epsi sold well- for a few

months. *nce consumers tired of the novelty of a clear cola, they 6uickly lost

interest, and &epsi 6uietly retired their clear alternative within a few years of its

launch.

But &epsi$o was not the only victim of the clear era, as other companies, including

$oke 8wont they ever learn(9 produced their own clear beverages. &erhaps the most

bi:arre was $lear Beer, a transparent beer marketed ; very briefly- by the Miller

Brewing $ompany. $learly, no one was impressed.

The Ford Edsel

Before there was 2ew $oke there was the


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%echnically, the =dsel was a good car. 5t was well made and did not suffer from

defects. &eople said it was ugly, which may be true, but the biggest problem was that

after all the advertising hype


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=ven ndy 'arhol hated 2ew $oke


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$lear pepsi

%he

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