The Hall of Shame - 15 lessons in bad marketing...

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This is interesting.

As marketers we have all had offerings that have done better than expected, and we have had offerings that didn't even come close.

I just read this article about some of the worst launches. Some are pretty obvious (New Coke) and others are long-forgotten (Pepsi A.M.???).

15 Disastrous Product Launches That Were Quickly Killed | Daily Ticker - Yahoo! Finance

Why learn from your own mistakes when you can learn from someone else's?

What flops do you remember?

All the best,
Michael
#bad #lessons #marketing
  • Profile picture of the author Paul Barrs
    Michael,

    I could probably add a few of my own to this list and you wouldn't have heard of them either... but I won't! LOL.

    Paul
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  • Profile picture of the author ardley216
    Banned
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Anyone remember the Apple Lisa?

      Too soon?
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      • Profile picture of the author mwright
        Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

        Anyone remember the Apple Lisa?
        Haha! Lisa was HOT!
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    • I've only ever sent out one email blast that no one responded to. That was an awful feeling.

      But you learn from your mistakes and push on.

      The lesson to learn from Netflix's implosion is that people will put up with lots of little friction points as long as you offer a useful product at a competitive price. There were many reasons to be a bit annoyed with Netflix but when they raised the price 60% the cup runneth over.

      fLufF
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      • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
        Originally Posted by fluffythewondercat View Post

        I've only ever sent out one email blast that no one responded to. That was an awful feeling.

        But you learn from your mistakes and push on.

        The lesson to learn from Netflix's implosion is that people will put up with lots of little friction points as long as you offer a useful product at a competitive price. There were many reasons to be a bit annoyed with Netflix but when they raised the price 60% the cup runneth over.

        fLufF
        --
        I like the concept of friction points, but the Netflix debacle wasn't about that, IMHO.

        Personally, I think people would have been more willing to embrace the price increase IF it were handled better, and not sprung on them out of nowhere.

        I have no idea what the data says, but I'm quite sure Netflix WAS one of those companies that people felt loyal to, and a large portion had been customers for years. It was if the company turned their back on them, hence the backlash.

        Then they added insult to injury, and then did it again.

        "Friction points" may be a factor in other marketing failures, but what Reed Hastings did redefines the term 'marketing failre' on both the corporate and personal level.

        All the best,
        Michael
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  • Profile picture of the author Mike Baker
    Here's one I remember fondly as I was super excited when it was released - Windows ME (Millenium Edition). It was the OS (Operating System) released before Windows XP.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
    Great share Michael.

    Love the Edsel story.

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  • Profile picture of the author danr62
    Looks like they took that page down.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Henderson
    Hi Michael,

    You might be interested to know that there's an entire book dedicated to this subject...
    Amazon.com: In Search of Stupidity: Over Twenty...Amazon.com: In Search of Stupidity: Over Twenty...
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  • Profile picture of the author tpw
    Originally Posted by Michael Oksa View Post

    I just read this article about some of the worst launches. Some are pretty obvious (New Coke) and others are long-forgotten (Pepsi A.M.???).

    Using these two as an example, you proved something unexpected.

    New Coke was a recipe flop, while Pepsi A.M. was a marketing flop.

    New Coke died because people did not like the taste. Its failure had nothing to do with marketing at all. In fact, I would say its marketing was successful, because 26 years after its introduction, we still know what it was and we can still taste the failure.

    Pepsi A.M.? Really? What was that?
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    • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
      Originally Posted by tpw View Post

      Using these two as an example, you proved something unexpected.

      New Coke was a recipe flop, while Pepsi A.M. was a marketing flop.

      New Coke died because people did not like the taste. Its failure had nothing to do with marketing at all. In fact, I would say its marketing was successful, because 26 years after its introduction, we still know what it was and we can still taste the failure.

      Pepsi A.M.? Really? What was that?
      That's a cool observation, Bill.

      I suppose we could say that the marketing error for the new recipe was calling it New Coke in the first place. People hear the word "Coke" and they think of a certain flavor profile, a profile that New Coke didn't have.

      A lot of people said it tasted awful, but there's no way to tell how objective their taste buds were being, because they already had the well-known flavor profile of Coca-Cola in mind.

      Apparently Coca-Cola did blind taste tests and people liked it better than Pepsi when they didn't they were drinking Coke. In other words, they liked it when they didn't have the presupposition.

      So, it could ultimately be called a marketing mistake because they used the word "Coke" for their new recipe. Also, people already liked Coca-Cola, and when New Coke launched, there was no regular Coca-Cola, there was no Classic Coke for a few days (weeks?).

      Maybe it would have done better if they left Coca-Cola alone, and called New Coke something completely different.

      All of that being said...Pepsi A.M.? I don't remember ever hearing of that before, so that would seem to be a clear (or should I say 'crystal') case of bad marketing.

      I guess it ALL falls under the umbrella of marketing in one form or another, but I like your overall point as it makes for a neat comparison.

      All the best,
      Michael
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      • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
        For the record, when Classic Coke replaced New Coke, Classic Coke STILL
        didn't taste like the original Coke I remember as a kid.

        In fact, Coke hasn't really been the same for a very long time.

        All you old folks who remember Coke from back in the day know what I'm
        talking about.

        Classic Coke?

        Please! The only thing classic about it is its name.
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        • Profile picture of the author d3communications
          Two words: Mexican Coca-Cola (is that three?)

          Edit: Oops. Didn't post like I thought it would. Mexican Coke uses real sugar. Tastes awesome.
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        • Profile picture of the author davidjames42973
          Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post

          For the record, when Classic Coke replaced New Coke, Classic Coke STILL
          didn't taste like the original Coke I remember as a kid.

          In fact, Coke hasn't really been the same for a very long time.

          All you old folks who remember Coke from back in the day know what I'm
          talking about.

          Classic Coke?

          Please! The only thing classic about it is its name.
          Steve,

          The reason why Coke Classic doesn't taste the same as Coke from back in the day is because of the high fructose corn syrup. Back then they use to make Coca Cola with cane sugar.

          There is a huge market now for Coca Cola made in Mexico because it's made with cane sugar. You'd be amazed how good it tastes. It tastes like when I drank Coke when I was a kid.
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          • Profile picture of the author tpw
            Originally Posted by Michael Oksa View Post

            Here's another point I'd like to bring up. Even though I said it's better to learn from other people's mistakes, you can bet your bottom dollar that these companies didn't just accept these marketing failures and then move on.

            Instead, they went over each one very carefully to find the points of failure and to see what they could do better next time. I'm also sure that it was a very in-depth analysis that consumed a lot of corporate resources.

            These big companies aren't just paying lip service when the say "we learn from our mistakes"; they really mean it.

            Now, we as internet marketers often say the same thing, but I wonder how much analysis we really do. See, if we don't dig deep enough, then we may never learn what the "real" mistakes were, and if that's the case, then we can't learn from them.

            Of course analysis of past mistakes is no guarantee of future success, as many of these companies had several failures. However, the chances are slim that they make the SAME mistakes. Also, their mistakes definitely contribute to their overall success.

            Heck, it wouldn't surprise if they don't sort of release some things with the intention of failing just so they can learn more.

            All the best,
            Michael

            I often wonder how many people have the capacity for the critical thinking necessary to learn from these mistakes.

            I knew a fellow one time who decided that online marketing was a scam, because he paid his web designer $1800 to build him a website that ranked #1 on Google.

            He said that in the three years since he had built that website, the website never generated a single sale for his business, despite the fact he was still #1 in Google.

            I was intrigued, so I looked at his website.

            And the only #1 ranking he had in Google was for his company name!!

            Unless people had heard about his company before, they would not be searching for the name of his company.

            And the people most likely to buy what he was selling were looking for the items he sold, not the company who sold them.

            I find that the "critical thinking necessary to learn from mistakes" is a rare trait that few business owners actually possess.


            Originally Posted by fluffythewondercat View Post

            Could you taper off and gradually start drinking water like Mountain Dew? I have a friend who ended up in the cardiac ward at Stanford University Hospital after his 6-Dew-a-day habit caused panic attacks. His heart's fine but he had to give up the Dew.

            The HFCS in Dew puts you at risk for type 2 diabetes and pancreatic cancer.

            I now return you to your regularly scheduled gabfest.

            fLufF
            --

            Thanks for the reminder. I have been working on it.

            I have cut my consumption in half over the last year.


            Originally Posted by davidjames42973 View Post

            Steve,

            The reason why Coke Classic doesn't taste the same as Coke from back in the day is because of the high fructose corn syrup. Back then they use to make Coca Cola with cane sugar.

            There is a huge market now for Coca Cola made in Mexico because it's made with cane sugar. You'd be amazed how good it tastes. It tastes like when I drank Coke when I was a kid.

            One might be able to argue that the whole New Coke was to make a successful shift from cane sugar to high fructose corn syrup, without scaring away their core customers.

            If they had just shifted from Coca-Cola to Coca-Cola Classic, then they might have lost market share when they abandoned cane sugar.

            But, by switching from Coca-Cola to New Coke and back to Coca-Cola Classic, no one realized the change in the formula that had kept them the largest cola manufacturer for nearly a century.

            If the scenario I just outlined is true, then New Coke may have been the most successful "disinformation marketing" campaign ever employed by a Corporate citizen.

            A couple years ago, I wrote a blog post about "disinformation campaigns" that you might find interesting.

            Just some food for thought.
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            • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
              Originally Posted by tpw View Post

              I often wonder how many people have the capacity for the critical thinking necessary to learn from these mistakes.

              I knew a fellow one time who decided that online marketing was a scam, because he paid his web designer $1800 to build him a website that ranked #1 on Google.

              He said that in the three years since he had built that website, the website never generated a single sale for his business, despite the fact he was still #1 in Google.

              I was intrigued, so I looked at his website.

              And the only #1 ranking he had in Google was for his company name!!

              Unless people had heard about his company before, they would not be searching for the name of his company.

              And the people most likely to buy what he was selling were looking for the items he sold, not the company who sold them.

              I find that the "critical thinking necessary to learn from mistakes" is a rare trait that few business owners actually possess.
              Agreed, especially because of your added emphasis.

              Some people are critical thinkers in the best sense of the word 'critical'. They are able to choose what to analyze, analyze, arrive at conclusions, test those conclusions, and repeat that process as needed until useful results appear.

              Then there are those, much like in your example of the person ranking #1 in Google, who believe that critical thinking means being 'critical' of some other entity for their own shortcomings.

              All signs seem to indicate that the vast majority of the people fall into the second group. But...the world would be a much better place if more people were in the first group. Though I think the transition to such a world would be rocky for a while, it would end up being much better in the long run.

              All the best,
              Michael
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      • Profile picture of the author tpw
        Originally Posted by Michael Oksa View Post

        That's a cool observation, Bill.

        I suppose we could say that the marketing error for the new recipe was calling it New Coke in the first place. People hear the word "Coke" and they think of a certain flavor profile, a profile that New Coke didn't have.

        A lot of people said it tasted awful, but there's no way to tell how objective their taste buds were being, because they already had the well-known flavor profile of Coca-Cola in mind.

        Apparently Coca-Cola did blind taste tests and people liked it better than Pepsi when they didn't they were drinking Coke. In other words, they liked it when they didn't have the presupposition.

        So, it could ultimately be called a marketing mistake because they used the word "Coke" for their new recipe. Also, people already liked Coca-Cola, and when New Coke launched, there was no regular Coca-Cola, there was no Classic Coke for a few days (weeks?).

        Maybe it would have done better if they left Coca-Cola alone, and called New Coke something completely different.

        Curiously, and I don't know how true or false this is, I have heard that there is legislation on the books that prohibit soft drink distributors from owning more than one "cola".

        That would explain why there is Coca-Cola Classic, Pepsi-Cola, and RC-Cola distributed by Dr. Pepper?

        True or not, I don't know what makes "cola" drinks "cola". Nor do I know if this legislation is still enforced.

        I understand that the legislation originally came about to prevent monopolies in the drink industry.

        I was told way back in 1985 -- yes, I was an adult then -- that this was the reason why Coca-Cola introduced New Coke as a new coke, rather than immediately setting up a different drink flavor.

        Of course, as we older folks know, back in those days, we could count all available flavors on our fingers and toes.
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        • Profile picture of the author HeySal
          Originally Posted by tpw View Post

          Curiously, and I don't know how true or false this is, I have heard that there is legislation on the books that prohibit soft drink distributors from owning more than one "cola".

          That would explain why there is Coca-Cola Classic, Pepsi-Cola, and RC-Cola distributed by Dr. Pepper?

          True or not, I don't know what makes "cola" drinks "cola". Nor do I know if this legislation is still enforced.

          I understand that the legislation originally came about to prevent monopolies in the drink industry.

          I was told way back in 1985 -- yes, I was an adult then -- that this was the reason why Coca-Cola introduced New Coke as a new coke, rather than immediately setting up a different drink flavor.

          Of course, as we older folks know, back in those days, we could count all available flavors on our fingers and toes.
          Cola drinks are made from cola beans.

          The reason Coke never was able to get that crisp individual flavor back is because they were prohibited from using their secret ingredient - some time around the early 70's. The ingredient that they guarded so strongly was: cocaine. That's where the name coca-cola came from. When my grandmother was a girl she could go to a soda fountain and get a coke spoon full of cocaine dumped in her drinks for a nickel. Not sure what year it became illegal, but Coke wasn't giving out its secret and was able to continue the drink for a few decades after the law. Once they were nailed on it, coke has never been the same.
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          • Profile picture of the author tpw
            Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

            Cola drinks are made from cola beans.

            The reason Coke never was able to get that crisp individual flavor back is because they were prohibited from using their secret ingredient - some time around the early 70's. The ingredient that they guarded so strongly was: cocaine. That's where the name coca-cola came from. When my grandmother was a girl she could go to a soda fountain and get a coke spoon full of cocaine dumped in her drinks for a nickel. Not sure what year it became illegal, but Coke wasn't giving out its secret and was able to continue the drink for a few decades after the law. Once they were nailed on it, coke has never been the same.

            It became illegal in 1963.
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            • Profile picture of the author HeySal
              Originally Posted by tpw View Post

              It became illegal in 1963.
              Well gee - looks like I missed the party by only a few years. I do remember literally slamming down a bottle of coke before catching the school bus in the mornings, though. School went better with coke. Go figure. I tried the "new" coke once. Just once. Never drank it again. There wasn't any marketing they could have done to recover from removing coke from the mix. It was the bite that nothing else provided.

              That's what I am wondering about this list. Was it really marketing that was the downfall of the campaign or were the products just too inferior to be saved by smoke and mirrors.
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              • Profile picture of the author mwright
                Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

                That's what I am wondering about this list. Was it really marketing that was the downfall of the campaign or were the products just too inferior to be saved by smoke and mirrors.
                Proabably one, the other, or a combination of both in some cases.

                To me, the HP Touchpad seemed like a great idea that was promoted at the wrong time. Smokeless cigarettes, on the other hand, seemed to offer an experience that smokers just didn't like.

                Everything has to work together.
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          • Profile picture of the author Alan Petersen
            Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

            Cola drinks are made from cola beans.

            The reason Coke never was able to get that crisp individual flavor back is because they were prohibited from using their secret ingredient - some time around the early 70's. The ingredient that they guarded so strongly was: cocaine. That's where the name coca-cola came from. When my grandmother was a girl she could go to a soda fountain and get a coke spoon full of cocaine dumped in her drinks for a nickel. Not sure what year it became illegal, but Coke wasn't giving out its secret and was able to continue the drink for a few decades after the law. Once they were nailed on it, coke has never been the same.

            According to snopes they stopped using cocaine in 1929. And it's use as a major ingredient appears to be more of an urban legend.

            snopes.com: Cocaine in Coca-Cola
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            • Profile picture of the author HeySal
              Originally Posted by Alan Petersen View Post

              According to snopes they stopped using cocaine in 1929. And it's use as a major ingredient appears to be more of an urban legend.

              snopes.com: Cocaine in Coca-Cola
              I don't use snopes - they are wrong too often to bother with them.

              My information comes from being around and remembering what went on with them at the time. I remember when they got slammed off the market and had to come up with "new coke". My grandfather and his pals owned hella stock in the company that they were on top of it. It was quite a scandal because of the illegality of cocaine at the time. They kept it all pretty quiet.

              But use a bit of logic and you can see through the dis-information on this one. Coca-cola had the world's best selling product with a substance in it that became illegal in 1963 yet you think they'd take it out 30 some years earlier when that is what gave coke the bite - it also kept people drinking it. If you go back into FDA or court records I'm sure you'll find the order to the company to reveal the secret ingredient.

              So my Grandad dumped his coke stocks the first time he tasted new coke and got some root beer stocks instead. LMAO
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
    The link seems to be working for some people and not others. One of my pet peeves is when people link to an article but don't mention anything that's in it. That's why I included the two examples, however, as some of you can't access the link, here is the list:

    Ford Edsel
    Joost
    Coors Rocky Mountain Spring Water
    HD DVD
    Cosmopolitan Yogurt
    Pepsi A.M. and Crystal
    McDonald's Arch Deluxe
    Microsoft Bob
    Orbitz soda
    JooJoo
    Mobile ESPN
    Google Lively
    RJ Reynold's smokeless cigarettes
    New Coke
    HP Touchpad
    Qwikster

    The list is in order from the longest time on the market to the shortest.

    All the best,
    Michael

    p.s. Is it just me, or are there actually 16 items on this list? LOL
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    • Profile picture of the author mwright
      Originally Posted by Michael Oksa View Post

      Pepsi A.M. and Crystal
      Apparently, there was also a "flopalicious" Pepsi Blue.
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  • Profile picture of the author Janice Sperry
    Thanks Michael. I had forgotten all about Microsoft Bob. It was very clear that it would be a flop as soon as it was introduced. Pepsi A.M. was another 'What were they thinking?' product. Microsoft and Pepsi are both going strong. I think my own flops are a huge part of my successes. I didn't feel that way in the early years and they would almost crush me.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
    Oh my god....Microsoft Bob.

    This is AWFUL!!!!

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    • Profile picture of the author DireStraits
      Originally Posted by ramone_johnny View Post

      Oh my god....Microsoft Bob.

      This is AWFUL!!!!

      Microsoft Bob - YouTube
      Hahaha. I remember getting a Gateway 2000 P5-75 for Christmas in 1995/1996 or so, and Microsoft Bob was included among the mountain of discs and diskettes in the "multimedia pack".

      I think it was intended as a sort of sub-OS to make Windows 95 more attractive and accessible for younger home users?

      Spent hours playing around on it, anyway, travelling between "rooms", etc. But when all was said and done, it was really just a completely useless POS.
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  • Profile picture of the author jahangir87
    Its a nice share indeed.Many things to learn for the product launchers.
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  • Profile picture of the author Doherty192
    Ha! Pepsi AM. Right up there with Microsoft Bob!
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  • Profile picture of the author Jeff Lenney
    I'm surprised Get FB ads free isn't on this list - LOL
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  • Profile picture of the author sandrasims
    I am so glad Netflix killed Quickster. That was a really BAD move. It would have been worse if they'd stubbornly stuck to it longer than the 23 days.
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  • Profile picture of the author LeeLee
    New Coke tasted like Pepsi to me. I agree with Steve. Classic Coke tastes off.

    There's a little bistro in PA that gets Coke from some foreign country. She can only get a limited amount. The only difference we can discern is that it includes real sugar. And it tastes like the Coke of my youth.

    People go nuts for it when she has it in stock.

    ETA I just thought of it. I drank a lot of Coke in Egypt in the later 80's and it tasted really good. And it came in those small thick bottles. I was already used to American supersized. I had to slam back a couple of bottles at minimum to be satisfied.
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    • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
      Originally Posted by LeeLee View Post

      New Coke tasted like Pepsi to me. I agree with Steve. Classic Coke tastes off.

      There's a little bistro in PA that gets Coke from some foreign country. She can only get a limited amount. The only difference we can discern is that it includes real sugar. And it tastes like the Coke of my youth.

      People go nuts for it when she has it in stock.

      ETA I just thought of it. I drank a lot of Coke in Egypt in the later 80's and it tasted really good. And it came in those small thick bottles. I was already used to American supersized. I had to slam back a couple of bottles at minimum to be satisfied.
      DING! DING! DING!

      I think we have a winner.

      When Bill mentioned that Classic Coke didn't taste the same as original Coca-Cola, my very first thought was "I bet that's because they started using high fructose corn syrup in place of sugar."

      Either way, I do think it really came down to poor marketing and positioning of their product. What they were really doing was admitting that Pepsi was a real contender to Coca-Cola, and they were being reactive instead of proactive.

      All the best,
      Michael
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      • You can often buy Mexican Coke by the case here at California Costcos.

        I don't drink soda, so I don't have an opinion as to taste, but obviously there's a perception that real sugar = better taste. And perception is all that's required.

        fLufF
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        • Profile picture of the author LeeLee
          Originally Posted by fluffythewondercat View Post

          You can often buy Mexican Coke by the case here at California Costcos.

          I don't drink soda, so I don't have an opinion as to taste, but obviously there's a perception that real sugar = better taste. And perception is all that's required.

          fLufF
          --
          Perception or a discerning palate?

          I wouldn't make Toll House cookies with corn syrup. I wouldn't make popcorn balls with cane sugar.
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          • Originally Posted by LeeLee View Post

            Perception or a discerning palate?

            I wouldn't make Toll House cookies with corn syrup. I wouldn't make popcorn balls with cane sugar.
            As it turns out, I was at Costco about 90 minutes ago.

            There was a pallet of Mexican Coke sitting next to a demonstrator (who was giving out cans of cat food). He saw me looking at the Coke and told me it tastes better because it has sugar in it.

            I asked him if he'd ever tried it. He said no, that's just what he's been told.

            Now, it may very well taste better than Coke made in the U.S. I don't know. But he and I have both "heard" it does. As a marketer, you should find that significant. If you hand out samples and tell people it's Mexican Coke, some of them will believe it's better because of what they've been told. If you do a blind taste test using Mexican Coke and U.S. Coke, you might get different results.

            fLufF
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            • Profile picture of the author tpw
              Originally Posted by fluffythewondercat View Post

              As it turns out, I was at Costco about 90 minutes ago.

              There was a pallet of Mexican Coke sitting next to a demonstrator (who was giving out cans of cat food). He saw me looking at the Coke and told me it tastes better because it has sugar in it.

              I asked him if he'd ever tried it. He said no, that's just what he's been told.

              Now, it may very well taste better than Coke made in the U.S. I don't know. But he and I have both "heard" it does. As a marketer, you should find that significant. If you hand out samples and tell people it's Mexican Coke, some of them will believe it's better because of what they've been told. If you do a blind taste test using Mexican Coke and U.S. Coke, you might get different results.

              fLufF
              --


              A few months ago, Pepsi released a Mountain Dew Flashback. I think they called it something else though, but the point is, the Flashback had real sugar in it, instead of the corn syrup.

              I drink Mountain Dew like it was water. And after trying the Flashback, I know that if they still made it with sugar, I would not touch it with a ten foot pole.

              My wife loves the real sugar IV. I don't like it at all.
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              • Originally Posted by tpw View Post

                I drink Mountain Dew like it was water.
                Could you taper off and gradually start drinking water like Mountain Dew? I have a friend who ended up in the cardiac ward at Stanford University Hospital after his 6-Dew-a-day habit caused panic attacks. His heart's fine but he had to give up the Dew.

                The HFCS in Dew puts you at risk for type 2 diabetes and pancreatic cancer.

                I now return you to your regularly scheduled gabfest.

                fLufF
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            • Profile picture of the author LeeLee
              Originally Posted by fluffythewondercat View Post

              As it turns out, I was at Costco about 90 minutes ago.

              There was a pallet of Mexican Coke sitting next to a demonstrator (who was giving out cans of cat food). He saw me looking at the Coke and told me it tastes better because it has sugar in it.

              I asked him if he'd ever tried it. He said no, that's just what he's been told.

              Now, it may very well taste better than Coke made in the U.S. I don't know. But he and I have both "heard" it does. As a marketer, you should find that significant. If you hand out samples and tell people it's Mexican Coke, some of them will believe it's better because of what they've been told. If you do a blind taste test using Mexican Coke and U.S. Coke, you might get different results.

              fLufF
              --
              I see your point as a marketer. I was responding more as myself and my personal experience.
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              The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of nonessentials. ~ Lin Yutang
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      • Profile picture of the author JDArchitecture
        Crystal Pepsi was part of a short-lived marketing fad of all things clear -- It was not the first such product and not the only victim of group think.

        I noticed the clear fad when we were in the middle of it. Clear soap, clear toothpaste... Every other TV commercial was for clear this and crystal that. Seemed like a new clear product hit the shelves every day.

        Every so often a new product development fad takes hold, some last longer than others, some products outlive the fad, but for the most part, the products born during these periods are never intended to be permanent parts of the manufacturers' portfolios.

        The best companies are agile. They can pump out a new product to ride a fad wave and just as quickly cease production when profitability hits the wall.

        What's the current fad? From where I sit, we're on the tail end of HOT. For a while, virtually every new flavor has been one form of chile or another.

        At some point, saturation destroys novelty. The heat is finally cooling off. What's next? That's the billion dollar question.
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        • Profile picture of the author clife
          I'd totally forgotten about Crystal Pepsi. That really brings back memories. I'm wondering if Betamax, Laser Disc and HD-DVD should be on this list?
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          • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
            Originally Posted by clife View Post

            I'd totally forgotten about Crystal Pepsi. That really brings back memories. I'm wondering if Betamax, Laser Disc and HD-DVD should be on this list?
            HD DVD is #4 on the list.

            Laser Disc isn't on the list, and I'm not so sure if it should be or not.

            Betamax raises another interesting point. Was this a marketing failure of Beta? Or was it a marketing success for VHS?

            All the best,
            Michael
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            "Ich bin en fuego!"
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            • Profile picture of the author JDArchitecture
              Originally Posted by Michael Oksa View Post

              Betamax raises another interesting point. Was this a marketing failure of Beta? Or was it a marketing success for VHS?
              I wasn't marketing per se, but the simple fact that Sony would not share (license) their technology. It became impossible for them to compete.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mauricio Lopez
    Who could forget CRYSTAL PEPSI!!!
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  • Profile picture of the author Scott Ames
    One that was a commercial success, but short lived, was the 8 track tape. I think the marketing was fine, it grew like gang busters in the 70's, but slowly lost out to cassettes then CD's. I don't know if there was anything they could have done to save 8 tracks.
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    Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. -Winston Churchill

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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned


    A prediction: Google Plus: Social Network will be on that list
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    • Profile picture of the author LeeLee
      Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post


      A prediction: Google Plus: Social Network will be on that list
      You have to admire their tenacity, though.
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  • Profile picture of the author clife
    Thanks for that great Google list sbucciarel. I hadn't even heard of some of those... like Google Audio Ads. I've often wondered how long Google+ will last. It would be great to see a list of Google projects that got scrapped before their roll out.
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  • Profile picture of the author Fazal Mayar
    This is a great list for us marketers that plans on launching new stuff all the time. Also, a smart person learns from someone else's mistakes instead of their own
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    Blogger at RicherOrNot.com (Make Money online blog but also promoting ethical internet marketing)

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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
    Here's another point I'd like to bring up. Even though I said it's better to learn from other people's mistakes, you can bet your bottom dollar that these companies didn't just accept these marketing failures and then move on.

    Instead, they went over each one very carefully to find the points of failure and to see what they could do better next time. I'm also sure that it was a very in-depth analysis that consumed a lot of corporate resources.

    These big companies aren't just paying lip service when the say "we learn from our mistakes"; they really mean it.

    Now, we as internet marketers often say the same thing, but I wonder how much analysis we really do. See, if we don't dig deep enough, then we may never learn what the "real" mistakes were, and if that's the case, then we can't learn from them.

    Of course analysis of past mistakes is no guarantee of future success, as many of these companies had several failures. However, the chances are slim that they make the SAME mistakes. Also, their mistakes definitely contribute to their overall success.

    Heck, it wouldn't surprise if they don't sort of release some things with the intention of failing just so they can learn more.

    All the best,
    Michael
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    "Ich bin en fuego!"
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    • Profile picture of the author Sandor Verebi
      Originally Posted by Michael Oksa View Post

      Here's another point I'd like to bring up. Even though I said it's better to learn from other people's mistakes, you can bet your bottom dollar that these companies didn't just accept these marketing failures and then move on.

      Instead, they went over each one very carefully to find the points of failure and to see what they could do better next time. I'm also sure that it was a very in-depth analysis that consumed a lot of corporate resources.

      These big companies aren't just paying lip service when the say "we learn from our mistakes"; they really mean it.
      Great conversation, Michael.

      As you know, these giants are progressing (mostly) by innovations. Every innovation requires some risks taking. Who doesn't assume risk, rarely progress. Big companies have a professional team to analyze every aspects of their progressing.

      And these teams are under pressure by high expectations of the management. These teams know, they have elemantary interest in learning from their success and mistakes, because the growth, prosperity, future of their company, and their job depends on it.

      Now, we as internet marketers often say the same thing, but I wonder how much analysis we really do. See, if we don't dig deep enough, then we may never learn what the "real" mistakes were, and if that's the case, then we can't learn from them.

      Of course analysis of past mistakes is no guarantee of future success, as many of these companies had several failures. However, the chances are slim that they make the SAME mistakes. Also, their mistakes definitely contribute to their overall success.
      Agreed. You can observe here on the forum, that starting up a business may seem like the hard part for many (who is serious about). But that is only one side of the coin. The another one is operating that business, and that process can also be difficult, sometimes.

      If you don't measure and analyze, then you aren't able to realize the signs of failure. Wise marketers learn to recognize the warning signs in time of their arising. They know, they need to plan and focusing on that, and change in proper time, if needed.

      Heck, it wouldn't surprise if they don't sort of release some things with the intention of failing just so they can learn more...
      You can experiment with larger and smaller scales as well. Internet marketer must too. Prospering marketer is testing everything. This way you'll know, what and how to change, if needed.

      Thank you,

      Sandor
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      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

        I don't use snopes - they are wrong too often to bother with them.

        My information comes from being around and remembering what went on with them at the time. I remember when they got slammed off the market and had to come up with "new coke". My grandfather and his pals owned hella stock in the company that they were on top of it. It was quite a scandal because of the illegality of cocaine at the time. They kept it all pretty quiet.

        But use a bit of logic and you can see through the dis-information on this one. Coca-cola had the world's best selling product with a substance in it that became illegal in 1963 yet you think they'd take it out 30 some years earlier when that is what gave coke the bite - it also kept people drinking it. If you go back into FDA or court records I'm sure you'll find the order to the company to reveal the secret ingredient.

        So my Grandad dumped his coke stocks the first time he tasted new coke and got some root beer stocks instead. LMAO
        Sal, your post reminds me of an old New Yorker cartoon showing two cops hauling Colonel Sanders to the hoosegow. One carried a chicken bucket.

        The caption read, "Sorry, Colonel, but we just got the report back from the lab on those 11 secret herbs and spices..."
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