Hello, knowledgeable soul,
Even the world’s biggest brands sometimes make mistakes.
From Apple’s clothing line to Colgate’s bizarre line of frozen meals, here are five branding blunders and the lessons they teach us.
1. Dasani
In 2004, Coca-Cola launched its bottled water brand Dasani in the UK. Marketed as ‘pure, still water’, some investigative journalists discovered that it was, in fact, just filtered tap water.
What’s worse, it was found to contain high levels of bromate, a suspected carcinogenic chemical.
Unsurprisingly, Coca-Cola had to recall every bottle, and the brand disappeared from the UK market.
Lesson: Trust matters. If you fake something, and your customers find out, it causes a visceral reaction.
2. Apple’s Clothing Range
Successful brands are successful brands in part because they are known for doing one thing really well. For example, if you want the most reliable car, you buy a Toyota.
However, as companies grow, they look for ways to keep expanding. And this doesn’t
always work out.
In 1986, Apple launched their own lifestyle collection/clothing line. Sadly, it turned out that back then, nobody wanted an Apple-branded sweatshirt.
Lesson: Timing matters. This was launched post Steve Jobs and Woz’s exit, and the brand was in a bad place. Now these items go for a fortune on second-hand markets!
3. Clairol ‘Touch of Yoghurt’ Shampoo
In the early 1980s, Clairol thought yoghurt would sound nourishing in a shampoo.
Unfortunately, some people believed that it actually contained yoghurt and would go off. Some even reportedly tried eating it!
Sales were less than impressive.
Lesson: Clever doesn’t mean clear. If your audience misunderstands the concept, you’ve lost before you’ve begun. Not all innovation is good.
4. Colgate Frozen Meals
Colgate tried expanding from oral care into ready meals, launching a line of frozen Colgate ‘Kitchen Entrees.’
But who wants lasagne from a company that makes mouthwash?
Lesson: Don’t extend into categories that contradict your brand associations. You can’t be dinner and dental at the same time.
5. Dead Happy Life Insurance
The insurance industry isn’t generally celebrated for its creativity and wit. However, one UK life insurance startup decided to change that.
Dead Happy insurance used dark humour to make light of a serious topic. This strategy certainly set them apart from the competition and propelled them to early success.
Sadly, the company didn’t last.
Its demise can at least be partially attributed to its bold advertising.
Its most memorable campaigns featured Harold Shipman, an English doctor who became the UK’s most prolific serial killer, with the headline ‘Life insurance: Because you never know who your doctor might be.’
Lesson: Dead Happy is an excellent example of a challenger brand going a step too far. It turns out people don’t find jokes about life insurance and serial killers funny.
Big love,
Chris & the 42courses team x
P.S. Want some more branding advice and stories? Take our Brand Building course
P.P.S. If you love listening to audiobooks more than reading, good news, you can now listen to all our lessons in every course. Just press play in the player at the top of any lesson!
