Loyalty to a specific brand can be a very frail concept. A single misstep and a previously famous brand is gone. It will now be important to look at some of the causes of such failures. Branding strategy is very difficult in any organization since it plays a central role in omni-channel marketing. For the last one hundred years, even reputable brands have been criticized for looking unprofessional in the regions where they have seriously damaged their image. Such mistakes include bad product ideas and confusing ad creativities. All these failures educate society on what not to do.
In this article, we will have a look at some of the worst branding mistakes in the past century. All the examples serve as good lessons for the companies in the present-day market. From these mistakes, one can learn about how to establish the right brand identity, increase status, and reach consumers in a much more efficient manner.
Table of Contents
- 7 biggest branding fails of the last century
- How to Stop Your Branding from Failing
- Conclusion
7 Biggest Branding Mistakes
Here are some major branding mistakes.
Ford Edsel (1957)
In 1957, Ford, the America’s second-largest automaker, came up with the Edsel, a car that was designed to be new and fashionable. However, it received a deserving reply from the consumers, primarily disappointment and confusion. It was not accepted by the market due to the ideas, views on design, and marketing strategy of the Edsel. Ford had let go of producing the Edsel just a few years after its production.
What's Wrong: Ford ignored the consumer demand and did not carry out a proper market analysis and thus developed a car which no one wanted.
New Coke (1985)
Coca-Cola introduced New Coke in 1985.They believed that people would enjoy it since some of the tasting sessions made some people like it. But it prompted many loyal users to complain and ask for the return of the ‘original ‘Coke. A few months later, Coca-Cola realized the mistake and introduced the traditional flavor of Coke as Coca-Cola Classic.
What's Wrong: Coca-Cola management believed that the taste of the beverages was enough to satisfy customer demands. They did not pay attention to how people felt about the first product.
McDonald's "McPizza" (1990s)
McDonald’s expanded its production and services by developing McPizza in the early 1990s even with the presence of other pizza companies. However, such a product was time-consuming and took a long time to cook hence inconvenience to the end users. Consumers were dissatisfied and the product never became popular. McDonalds later removed the offer from the menu.
What's Wrong: People were unhappy because McDonald’s failed to understand what makes their restaurants function and what consumers expect from fast foods.
Blockbuster's Failure to Adapt (2000s)
Blockbuster was once the largest entertainment/media renters around, but it could never adapt to new change. When such businesses as Netflix started to become trendy offering streaming option, Blockbuster continued doing things the traditional way and never believed that it required a change. Blockbuster could not manage to remain open in 2010 because the company was not ready to do changes.
What's Wrong: Blockbuster failed to notice changes in customer attitudes and technology. As a result, they lost numerous chances to development.
Sony's PlayStation 3 Price (2006)
Sony started the PlayStation 3, but it was so expensive and this was at $599 which many people said was very expensive. Some gamers said the price was high as compared to other home video game like Xbox. Due to this, the sales that were expected to records were very low.
What's Wrong: Sony chose a high price without evaluating it with the price consumers were willing to pay and the prices of other related products.
Pepsi's "Live for Now" Ad (2017)
Pepsi released an advertisement strategy with Kendall Jenner with the intention of promoting peace and unity. However, many of them considered this ad to be an own goal and insulting, as if the company was laughing at people’s problems. The moment people began to realize what was happening, Pepsi decided to withdraw the advertisement.
What's Wrong: Pepsi completely underestimated the social processes and was not able to solve the problems, which finally led to a lack of understanding between the audience and the company.
H&M's "Coolest Monkey" Hoodie (2018)
The clothing firm H&M got into a lot of trouble in 2018 with an advertisement featuring a Black child wearing a hoodie with a caption that read “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle.” Many people considered this unkind and racist. H&M removed the ad and issued an apology explaining themselves, but by doing this, H&M damaged its image.
What's Wrong: H&M did not pay attention to the impact of culture on its ad, resulting in a crisis that negatively impacted the company's image.
How to Stop Your Branding from Failing
Know Your Customers
Spend some time understanding what your customers want from you and what they prefer. Great ideas can be gleaned through surveys, feedback, and social media communication with them.
Stay True to Your Brand
There is a need to know what your brand identity stands for and what it represents, such as its mission and vision statements. Make sure that the contents of your messages match your brand and the visuals you use.
If you have realized that earlier changes are necessary, do not waste time making them.
Test Changes Before Launching
When planning to introduce new products or when creating new ads, discuss it with the customers. At the same time, use it for updates on trends, watch what people are saying about your brand, and address any issue that may arise.
Keep Quality High
It is necessary to offer fine quality goods or services each time the consumer approaches the business. It is also advisable to maintain a check and ensure that your offerings meet your customer expectations.
Learn from Mistakes
Branding mistakes are actually opportunities to learn, so do not be too hard on yourself when they occur. Understand what happened, desire to know how you did it, and learn to tell the truth about what changes are being made. This can help make your brand stronger and trust from the side of the customers.
Conclusion
Branding can be the very first thing that can determine whether or not a business will succeed. What branding mistakes of the past centuries can help today’s learners understand how to address the ordinary customer? To avoid the same mishap, companies need to understand their clients, be consistent with their image, experiment, and maintain quality and a piece of mass information on previous failures. The above steps can help organizations to make and grow strong brands that would command trust and customer loyalty and, thus, create great returns.
