Tyrone Pardue

For those of you that read my recent post “Where’s My Orange”, you may be wondering what good blogging and Web-based consumer protest would do. Well I am pleased to report to you that Pepsi Co. has heard the consumer loud and clear! They have decided to all but trash the over $30 million investment in the re-branding of Tropicana Orange juice and bring back the familiar orange and straw image they had thrown out with the bathwater. Yes, I did say $30 million. Recession or not, that’s the cost of pulling a brand stunt like this one.

If there is anything I have learned over 25 years in this business, it’s that as a designer you must sometimes put away your ego. The mistake made here was one of tremendous egos thinking that they could re-write brand history and not have people notice. The shear ego it must have taken to spend $30 million to redesign this brand without the proper research makes the mind boggle.

It turns out consumers were very fond of their old Tropicana orange and straw and the shear mass of public protest (mostly online) has stopped them in their tracks. As reported in the New York Times this week by Stuart Elliot, consumers emailed, phoned and blogged their complaints, “Some of those commenting described the new packaging as “ugly” or “stupid,” and resembling “a generic bargain brand” or a “store brand.”

Power to the people!