Brand Failures: The truth about the 100 biggest branding mistakes of all time

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Brand Failures takes a riveting look at what happens when global giants like McDonald’s and Coca-Cola launch major brands which fail spectacularly, and at great cost. Matt Haig approaches his subject in a truly entertaining style - yes, this is a business book that is actually fun to read - but his message is deadly serious. He reveals what went wrong in every case and provides a valuable check list of lessons learnt. A tour of Matt Haig’s fascinating hall of failure will alert you to potential dangers and show you how to ensure a long, healthy life for your brand. About The Author Matt Haig is an independent consultant advising organizations on creating integrated marketing and branding solutions. He is the author of numerous books including the best seller Brand Royalty: How the World’s Top 100 Brand’s Thrive & Survive (also published by Kogan Page). Matt is a popular speaker and writes regularly for the national and business press. Table of Contents Introduction Why brands fail Brand myths Why focus on failure? Classic failures New Coke The Ford Edsel Sony Betamax McDonald’s Arch Deluxe Idea failures Kellogg’s Cereal Mates: warm milk, frosty reception Sony’s Godzilla: a monster flop Persil Power: one stubborn stain on Unilever’s reputation Pepsi: in pursuit of purity Earring Magic Ken: when Barbie’s boyfriend came out of the closet The Hot Wheels computer: stereotyping the market Corfam: the leather substitute RJ Reynolds’ smokeless cigarettes: the ultimate bad idea Oranjolt: the drink that lost its cool La Femme: where are the pink ladies? Radion: bright orangeboxes aren’t enough Clairol’s ‘Touch of Yoghurt’ shampoo Pepsi AM Maxwell House ready-to-drink coffee’s Souper Combo Thirsty Cat! and Thirsty Dog!: bottled water for pets Extension failures Harley Davidson perfume: the sweet smell of failure Gerber Singles: when branding goes ga ga Crest: stretching a brand to its limit Heinz All Natural Cleaning Vinegar: confusing the customer Miller: the ever-expanding brand Virgin Cola: a brand too far Bic underwear: strange but true Xerox Data Systems: more than copiers? Chiquita: is there life beyond bananas? Country Time Cider Ben-Gay Aspirin Capital Radio restaurants Smith and Wesson mountain bikes Cosmopolitan yoghurt Lynx barbershop Colgate Kitchen Entrees Life Savers Soda Pond’s toothpaste Frito-Lay Lemonade PR failures Exxon McDonald’s: the McLibel trial Perrier’s benzene contamination Pan Am: ending in tragedy Snow Brand milk products: poisoning a brand Rely tampons: Procter & Gamble’s toxic shock Gerber’s PR blunder RJ Reynold’s Joe Camel campaign Firestone tyres Farley’s infant milk: the salmonella incident Culture failures Kellogg’s in India Hallmark in France Pepsi in Taiwan Schweppes Tonic Water in Italy Chevy Nova and others Electrolux in the United States Gerber in Africa Coors in Spain Frank Perdue’s chicken in Spain Clairol’s Mist Stick in Germany Parker Pens in Mexico American Airlines in Mexico Vicks in Germany Kentucky Fried Chicken in Hong Kong CBS Fender: a tale of two cultures Quaker Oats’ Snapple: failing to understand the essence of the brand People failures Enron failing the truth Arthur Andersen: shredding a reputation Ratner’s: when honesty is not the best policy Planet Hollywood: big egos, weak brand Fashion Cafe: from catwalk to catfights Hear’Say: from pop to flop Guiltless Gourmet: helping the competition Rebranding failures Consignia: a post office by any other name Tommy Hilfiger: the power of the logo BT Cellnet to O2: undoing the brand ONdigital to ITV Digital: how the ‘beautiful dream went sour Wind scale to Sellafield:same identity, different name Payless Drug Store to Rite Aid Corporation British Airways MicroPro Internet and new technology failures Pets.com VoicePod: failing to be heard Excite@Home: bad branding @ work WAP: why another protocol? Dell’s Web PC: not quite a net gain Intel’s Pentium chip: problem? What problem? IBM’s Linux graffiti boo.com: the party’s over Tired brands Oldsmobile: how the ‘King of Chrome’ ended up on the scrap heap Pear’s soap: failing to hit the present taste Ovaltine: when a brand falls asleep Kodak: failing to stay ahead Polaroid: live by the category, die by the category Rover: a dog of brand Moulinex: going up in smoke Nova magazine: let sleeping brands lie Levi’s: below the comfort zone Kmart: a brand on the brink The Cream nightclub: last dance saloon? Yardley cosmetics: from grannies to handcuffs