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How to squander a big idea.

I don't understand Tropicana's new packaging.

For years Tropicana was easily identified by its iconic symbol of a straw inserted into an orange. Nothing could say fresh orange juice faster or clearer. It's a unique and ownable mnemonic that nails the brand benefit.

But Tropicana dumped this for, get this, a picture of a glass of juice. What could be more generic? Along with the new typography, the packaging exudes the feel of a store brand or a generic knock-off of a national brand. The existing packaging needed to be refreshed, but I think they went way too far by dropping the orange and straw.

This speaks to the fragility of great ideas. It takes years to build and own an iconic idea, but it takes only one bad decision to squander it.
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Comments

Anonymous said…
I don't know. I like the clean, ORGANIC look that they are trying to achieve... even though I'm not an orange juice drinker... Look at POM. clean, simple, yet a great bottle design.
January 18, 2009 at 10:58 PM
Anonymous said…
The existing idea needed a fresher look and stronger advertising.

Be interesting to see what happens to sales.
January 19, 2009 at 8:02 AM
Anonymous said…
I noticed the very same thing this weekend at the store. I thought Rainbow had a new private label product.... The Tropicana name doesn't even stand out on the carton. Good luck with sales Tropicana, it's going to most likely be a tough quarter. Somehow I think the consumer insight proof of concept study was not done.
January 19, 2009 at 10:25 AM
Anonymous said…
The best brands reinvent themselves while staying true to who they are. Madonna for instance.

Would love to hear people's thoughts about Coke and their move to "open happiness".

i was a big fan of "the coke side of life" but this new direction feels truer to their core and I think will serve them well...
January 19, 2009 at 7:46 PM
David Murphy said…
Dom...I also believe Coke's new positioning feels true to the brand. The challenge they face is that Pepsi has adopted and launched the same optimistic positioning at the same time. It'll be a battle to see who can best channel the country's (hopefully not momentary!) zeitgeist!
January 20, 2009 at 9:24 AM
Dave Daily said…
I agree that the new package is clean (and perhaps even a bit more organic looking), but a glass of orange juice says absolutely nothing about the Tropicana brand. The straw in the orange has always been an iconic symbol to me as well, conveying both freshness and a bit of playful personality.
January 21, 2009 at 4:12 PM
Chelsea said…
I have been a loyal Tropicana drinker for years. But for the last three trips to Lund's I came home with the 'other' brand of oj because I simply didn't recognize the new packaging. I thought they were just out of stock. Sure I could of actually read the carton, but why bather when I thought I new what I was looking for. I'm not a fan.
January 27, 2009 at 9:49 AM
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