20 products launched by major companies that were major fails
Not all bets are winners. Take, for example, products that are supposed to appeal to the public, that end up being drastic failures. It can be bad enough to make the companies that believed in these products question their creators, inventors, and design teams. Even worse, sometimes the flops end up bankrupting the companies that sunk all their money into a failed product.
There are lots of examples, like the Colgate brand, which specializes in toothpaste, who had the great idea of launching lasagna...it was a total failure! Other examples can be seen below.
1. Colgate lasagna, 1982
In 1982, Colgate decided to launch frozen lasagna, sort of the same way Stouffers does it. People tended to think that this dish might taste like toothpaste. Therefore, sales were dismal.
2. Clippy, Microsoft’s Office Assistant, 1990s
It was the beginning of the digital era, and the Microsoft Office Assistant known as Clippy was never a big hit with users. It was more of a nuisance than a help...
3. Heinz colored ketchup, 2006
In 2000, Heinz decided to launch different colors of ketchup on the market, like teal, green, and violet. It was an immediate failure and was removed from shelves 6 years later.
4. BIC for Her, 2012
In 2012, BIC tried to market a pink pen for women. It was considered a ridiculous product by many.
5. Google +, 2011
To compete with Facebook, Google launched its social network, Google +, in 2011. It never took off!
6. Fat-free/low-fat potato chips, 1998
This product’s sales exploded in the first year, with 400 million dollars in revenue. And then it collapsed because a controversial substance was discovered in the product...
7. Giant steaks, 2007
In 2007, Donald Trump launched a line of high-end steaks, considered the greatest in the world. But consumers didn’t buy them.
8. Cheetos lip balm, 2005
The launch of Cheetos flavored lip balm in 2005 was a major fail.
9. Rejuvenique mask, 1999
This facial mask was launched in 1999 and was supposed to tighten the face muscles. But its appearance, which users found to be scary, kept people from buying it.
10. Crystal Pepsi, 1992
It only lasted one year on store shelves. The problem was how it tasted!
11. A special drink for dogs and cats, 1994
In 1994, we thought we had found the right formula for cats and dogs. It came in a flavored water, rich in vitamins. But consumers quickly turned away, considering it a form of soda.
12. TwitterPeek, 2009
A perfect device for tweeting? Not really, because that’s literally ALL it did. And it only could hold 20 characters per message. It was quickly discontinued.
13. Coca-Cola’s “New Coke!”, 1985
In 1985, Coca-Cola attempted to change its formula. It was a “new Coke” that people loved in the test phase, but which got negative reactions once it was released. Three months after it was put on shelves, it was discontinued.
14. Google Glass, 2013-2014
Google glasses were launched in 2013 but quickly disappeared from the radar. They were expensive ($1500) and raised some security and confidentiality issues.
15. Hoverboards, 2015
Back to the Future had better watch out...or maybe not. This item from 2015 was a big flop because of its tendency to catch on fire...
16. Juicero, 2017
In 2013, consumers wanted to make way for a new machine called “Juicero Press.” But this machine did not allow for any added value for people, because the juice pods could easily be squeezed by hand, without the $400 machine.
17. Samsung Galaxy Note 7, 2016
2.5 million phones had to be recalled due to overheating and battery explosions.
18. An energy drink from Redux beverages, 2007
This energy drink was removed from shelves in the United States because of its name. It is still sold in Europe.
19. Amazon Fire Phone, 2014
It was a major fail because of its price, which was too high for the average consumer. This was recognized by its creators, and it was eventually discontinued.
20. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial video game from Atari, 1982
Atari wanted to secure the box office popularity of E.T. by spending $20-25 million for the rights to create the game. But it was a huge flop in terms of video games.
By Straker Julia
Writer
Passionate about writing, I write articles on the subjects that I love. Creativity and Animals themes are my favorites!
