A successful rebrand can take a company’s image to new heights, while a failed one can bring it crashing down. Just ask Tropicana. In 2009, the iconic orange juice brand rolled out the Tropicana rebrand in Las Vegas as part of a nationwide rebranding campaign for their top-selling Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice. But, the redesigned packaging would come back to haunt the brand.
The iconic carton featuring a fresh orange with a straw was replaced with a plain white container with the brand name displayed in a modern but understated font. But consumers didn’t welcome this new packaging design, which turned into a disaster, costing the company around $30 million in loss.
In this article, we will analyze the famous Tropicana packaging failure and discuss the essential lessons from this rebranding process. Moreover, this case serves as a warning for those embarking on a branding refresh.
History of Tropicana
Anthony T. Rossi established the Tropicana orange juice brand in 1947, right in the heart of Bradenton, Florida. What began as a modest juice processing plant soon became a dominant force within the fresh orange juice industry, a position it would maintain for many years.
Tropicana is widely recognized for pioneering the idea of 100% pure orange juice that is not made from concentrate, forever altering the way Americans enjoy their OJ. Tropicana’s iconic Florida orange juice cartons have played a pivotal role in solidifying its reputation.
The Old Packaging Design
The old packaging prominently featured an image of a whole orange with a straw inserted, signifying the natural source of the juice. It conveyed the idea of freshly squeezed juice from real oranges, which resonated with consumers who valued natural and pure fruit juice.
The horizontal logo with “Pure Premium” suggests a premium and high-quality product. Consumers associated the brand with a commitment to delivering pure and premium orange juice, and this branding element reinforced their trust in the product.
The “100% Orange Juice” text on the original packaging further emphasized the purity and simplicity of the product. It reinforced the brand’s commitment to delivering a natural product.
The New Packaging Design
During the Tropicana rebranding, a series of changes were implemented, which resulted in the Tropicana packaging failure. The main reasons for rebranding were to modernize the brand identity and retain the old customers while attracting new ones. Some of the noticeable changes that were made include:
Tropicana Logo Change: The original horizontal logo was replaced with a vertical one featuring a more straightforward and modern font. The logo size was reduced, prominently displaying the message “100% Orange Pure and Natural.”
Packaging Image: The classic image of an orange with a straw was replaced with a big transparent glass filled with orange juice during the Tropicana redesign. It emphasized the product itself rather than the orange fruit.
Lid Redesign: The bottle cap was changed to resemble half an orange, making it look like you could squeeze it to obtain fresh orange juice. This design aligned with the new advertising campaign’s message, “Squeeze, it’s a natural.”
Messaging and Advertising Campaign: Tropicana launched an advertising campaign with the tagline “Squeeze, it’s a natural.” The campaign emphasized the functional benefit of orange juice in daily diets and the emotional connection people had with Tropicana.
Reactions To Tropicana’s Rebrand
The rebranding effort resulted in a substantial adverse reaction from consumers who felt an emotional bond with the original packaging. Many loyal consumers could no longer recognize the product on the supermarket shelves, leading to confusion and a significant drop in sales, around 20%. Tropicana’s competitors took advantage of this situation, and the company ultimately had to revert to its original packaging design, incurring substantial financial losses.
This case serves as a valuable lesson, highlighting the importance of respecting the emotional connection consumers have with a brand’s packaging and the need for careful consideration when making changes, especially when redesigning branding elements, such as the logo, in a rebranding effort.
Lessons From The Tropicana Rebrand
There are always new lessons to learn from both successful Rebranding strategies and failed ones. In the case of the Tropicana product packaging redesign, which was ultimately a failure, one can understand the following lessons:
- Don’t change your core branding elements all at once. Always ask the basic rebranding questions before making significant changes. The iconic orange with a straw was a recognizable symbol for the Tropicana brand. By replacing it completely, the redesign lost brand equity and disrupted customer loyalty.
- Test major redesigns extensively before launching. Always have a rebranding checklist to measure various elements. If Tropicana had tested consumer reactions to the new design first, they likely would have seen the issues and avoided rolling it out nationwide.
- Respect the history and memories consumers have with an established brand. The old Tropicana packaging had been around for decades and held nostalgia for many. The redesign did not honor that connection.
- A rebranding campaign should reinforce your brand message and keep it distinct. Consumers found the new design generic, and it needed to communicate Tropicana’s orange juice product.
- Be prepared to revert or adjust if a rebrand fails. Tropicana was able to recognize quickly that the redesign was not working and switch back, but still incurred significant costs.
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