3.04.2009

Squeezing Out a Turd

My hometown in Florida is the birthplace of Tropicana orange juice, so the brand is near and dear to my heart. PepsiCo, the company that owns Tropicana, appears to be two-for-two in the Loss column on branding overhauls. I'm referring to the $35 million debacle over Tropicana's new packaging, which lasted mere days on grocer's shelves before public outcry forced OJ executives to bring back their iconic fruit with the striped straw. Here's what the head of the design firm that created the new, now dead packaging had to say about his agency's efforts and inspiration:



I've been on both sides of the table for these agency pitches, so I know Mr. Arnell's pain. Still, this guy seems none too sold on any of the bullshit that's wafting through his mic. Regrettably, I've stood before marketing managers at plenty of companies much smaller than PepsiCo who gobble this shit right up. Here's my favorite line from Arnell's meandering diatribe:

"… the power of love, or the idea of transferring that love or converting that attitude between mom and the kids…"

Are we talking about OJ or NAMBLA?


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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Jesus! What a load. But you're right, clients eat that crap up. But, it really shouldn't require so much explanation. If it's good, people will get it. Ugh.