Biggest Product Flops

BIGGEST PRODICT FLOPS FORD EDSEL 1957 IGNORED MARKETING DATA The car that declared it would 'make history by making sense' failed to do both those things. Extensive marketing research polls were completely ignored and eighteen different lumbering variations launched with the ambiguous name 'Edsel, to a public that wanted smaller, more economic cars. SONY BETAMAX CHEAPER COMPETITOR 1975 Betamax was technically a superior quality tape to its rival VHS. However, open licencing and a cheaper price gave VHS the edge it needed to defeat its Sony-backed rival. Sony's revenge would come decades later, with the success of Blu-ray discs. 'NEW COKE' RECIPE CHANGE PUBLIC OUTRAGE 1985 Back in the late eighties, Coke were under threat from Pepsi. They decided to shake up their famous recipe by changing it completely. Despite extensive pre-launch taste testing the public were not convinced, even Fidel Castro complained, and 'classic coke' made a hasty return. SMOKELESS 'PREMIER' CIGARETTES HEALTH CONCERNS 1988 In an age of increasing health awareness around smoking, RJ Reynolds gambled on a bold new premium cigarette. Unfortunately their 'smokeless' function didn't work and the public weren't convinced. The product went up in smoke after just four months on the market. PEPSI A.M. NO MARKET 1989 Pepsi's goal with AM was to target the 'breakfast cola drinker' with 'all the sugar and twice the caffeine' of regular Pepsi. Unfortunately, thanks to a complete lack of any serious market research, it transpired that the demographic did not exist. NEWTON MESSAGEPAD 100 PDA 1993 TECHNICAL LIMITATIONS Even the Simpsons made fun of this terrible PDA, which featured a 'revolutionary' hand writing system that was infamously inaccurate. A $700 price tag also put off potential customers, and Steve Jobs promptly terminated the programme when he returned to Apple in 1997. ARCH DELUXE BURGER NO MARKET 1996 In the mid-nineties, McDonalds attempted to apply their brand to the sophisticated urban market by investing $150 million / £105 million into promoting a new burger. Unfortunately, sophisticated urbanites did not flock to the fast food chain to order the most expensive thing on the menu. WOW! CHIPS HEALTH CONCERNS 1998 The miracle chip that was claimed to taste 'like fat without the fat' turned out to operate more like a laxative than a tasty snack thanks to special ingredient Olestra. Costs escalated when Frito-Lay invested millions into countering prevailing concerns about the explosive consequences of consumption. HEINZ EZ SQUIRT KETCHUP PURPLE KETCHỤP 2000 Heinz brought condiments into the new millennium by debuting a 'kid-friendly' squeeze nozzle so that young culinary Picassos could splatter a tomato-flavoured masterpiece over their food. Unfortunately they jumped the shark when they then introduced 'Blazin' Green' and 'Funky Purple' colours. SEGWAY TECHNICAL LIMITATIONS 2002 The Segway was to be 'to the car what the car was to the horse!. The head of the company would say that, though. In reality the product released as a glorified scooter for the low, affordable price of just $7,000/ £4,900. MICROSOFT ZUNE SUPERIOR COMPETITOR 2006 Innovation is hard work. In the mid-2000's Microsoft was struggling to compete with Apple's iPod, so they invested hundreds of millions into the Zune. Despite a huge marketing push no one could quite force themselves to find any excitement for it. OTHER TERRIBLE IDEAS BROUGHT TO MARKET DOC DO1 100 HARLEY DAVIDSON PERFUME COSMOPOLITAN YOGHURT COLGATE KITCHEN ENTREES READY MEALS BIC UNDERWEAR FRITO-LAY LEMONADE KELLOGG'S BREAKFAST MATES WITH MILK INCLUDED CHEETOS LIP BALM COORS ROCKY MOUNTAIN SPRING WATER SOURCES AND REFERENCES uk.businessinsider.com therichest.com marketwatch.com dailyfinance.com 247wallst.com en.wikipedia.org OPEN TO TRADE AND PUBLIC myapplenewton.blogspot.co.uk cbsnews.com WHOLESALECLEARANCE.cO.UK Food Politics by Marion Nestle (book)