Top 10 unsuccessful products

From time to time, a product appears that makes you think, “Yes! This is what I missed in my life! " And your life is really changing (Internet and George Foreman's grill is the first thing that came to my mind). But more often than not, the start of a new product is mediocre, and a new thing is a slightly modified version of an existing one.

However, from time to time, products appear that are far from mediocre - this is such a huge, mind-blowing failure that one can only gasp. Here's what we're celebrating today - products are so ill-conceived, so hopeful at launch, and flop so catastrophically that they made it into our Top 10 Unlucky Products.

10. New Cola

One of the most famous examples is Coca-Cola's New Cola in 1985. Forgetting the 'never change the winning formula' rule, they decided to change the cola recipe that had served them well and relaunched it to the sound of fanfare. Roberto Goizueta, then CEO, described the new drink as “softer, smoother, but bolder at the same time ... more harmonious taste,” and initially consumers bought the cola as usual. Then there was a reaction - mainly from the loyalists in the South, who saw this as a kind of continuation of the civil war. In the end, the active minority won out and the old formula was restored, although many argue that Coca-Cola is not what it used to be.

9. Disposable tights from Bic

I would like to attend a meeting where this product was first discussed ... "What should we develop alongside our bestseller: handles and disposable razors?" "Uh-uh ... underwear?" "Yes!" As incredible as it may seem, such a dialogue must have taken place, since Bic released “disposable” tights along with other disposable lines.

But production problems arose - unlike lighters, you can't make injection-mold tights - and the brand wasn't strong enough to convince people to buy. The emphasis on "one-time" use did not work, because you can actually wear the pantyhose more than once if you avoid sharp nails. It took some serious suppression of disbelief to put disposable pens and underwear into the same category, but someone at Bic must have believed they could do it!

8. Jell-o vegetable jelly for salads

Some ideas look good overall, but putting them into practice can make you nauseous. For example, the idea of the spicy Jell-o jelly. In the first half of the 20th century, there was a fashion for salad jellies - vegetables encased in gelatin - and chefs made them with lime-flavored Jell-o. So, the Jell-o company has released a line of jellies for salads: with tomato, vegetable and celery mix.

Oddly enough, they were not successful, and production was discontinued. But if you want to make salad jelly, the good old lime Jell-o is still on sale.

Jell-o is the official Utah snack due to its popularity with Mormons. But I suspect even they didn't appreciate the vegetable taste!

7. Multi-colored ketchup

Another edible that flopped because Heinz ignored a Coca-Cola lesson in 2000 and ruined the winning formula: in this case, a tomato-colored ketchup that has been quietly sold for over a hundred years.

Wanting to be more attractive to children, Heinz launched a new range of ketchups in insane colors such as electric blue and blueberry. This rather puzzled buyers, given that any self-respecting four-year-old would smear ketchup on their food anyway, and, of course, did not find understanding with their parents. Oddly enough, parents prefer that their children's food looks as similar to the main ingredient as possible, rather than resembling something that has fallen out of a stranger's nose. Needless to say, this did not last long.

6. Levi's Type 1 jeans

In this case, there is no clear reason why this particular product failed - after all, it's not that often Levi's have been wrong in the entire history of blue jeans. But it also happens - the louder the fanfare, the greater the likelihood of disappointment. The Type 1 had all the Levi's hallmarks: a red tag, large buttons and decorative seams. But even the high-priced Super Bowl ads didn’t help, partly because of an insane pricing strategy that had some sellers selling them for $ 100 and others for $ 30. The atmosphere of general confusion didn’t help sales, and Levi’s ceased production to focus on well-known bestsellers. It seems that consumers prefer jeans that are understated in every sense of the word ...

5. Crystal Pepsi

Another food disaster, but in fairness, this time it was not Coca-Cola that was defeated, but Pepsi. Fashion trends in food and drinks are always a little inexplicable (think of salad jelly), and transparent cola came into vogue in the early 90s. Perhaps its creators were inspired by the trends of minimalism in home furnishings. Perhaps it was just a freak. But in 1992, soft drink makers were scrambling to conquer the market with their version of clear cola.

Coca-Cola had its own brand - Tab Clear - but Pepsi got ahead of them: Crystal Pepsi drinks hit store shelves in April 1992, a few months before Tab Clear. The novelty was accompanied by an extensive marketing campaign, with music by Van Halen and Super Bowl commercials. But the brand never took off. Consumers were clearly confused about products that did not match the taste (like green ketchup), and the drink was discontinued the following year.

4. Chips Wow!

Another fashion trend in the 1990s is Fat Free! No fat, the same great taste! Dietary! One such product released in 1998 was the Wow! from Frito-Lay. They delivered on their promise in three different flavors - very little fat while maintaining the flavor customers expected. But they also caused something else — stomach cramps, loose stools, and other digestive problems. The olestra, responsible for this ingredient, was later discarded due to complaints of abdominal ailments caused by it, as well as due to the fact that it "suppressed the absorption of certain vitamins and nutrients." Yes, he could help to lose weight: at the cost of indigestion and exhaustion. Oddly enough, after such revelations, sales fell, and the chips were quietly removed from production.

3. Colgate Ready Meals

What could be more tempting than a combination of toothpaste and ready-to-eat food? Each of us at least once in our life ate too early after brushing our teeth, when there was still paste in our mouth. Taste ... for an amateur. But the Colgate folks must have figured there was something to it, and launched their line of "kitchen snacks" in 1982. Surprisingly, others disagreed with them: the thought of toothpaste at the sight of rice and vegetable dishes clearly alienated customers. Colgate's ready-to-eat meals did not reach the American market and their production was discontinued.

2. Betamax

There will always be winners and losers in new technology - just watch how Facebook supplanted MySpace and MiniDisc players all but disappeared with the iPod. The same fate befell the Betamax VCRs, whose 1-hour tapes simply could not compete with the 2 hours provided by a rival VHS system. VHS was also cheaper, which didn't help Betamax either.

In 1975, Betamax owned 100% of the market, but the VHS effect had brought it down to 25% by 1981. Despite this, production lasted right up to 2002, with the bulk of the Japanese market taken - which is a bit strange, given that the Japanese are usually at the forefront of science and technology.Betamax players still exist, but only as a rare curiosity, or as a collectible in certain circles.

1. Dasani

Sorry Coca-Cola, it's your turn again and we move on to the catastrophic failure of the new Dasani bottled water brand in 2004. Competing with Pepsi's Aquafina, she enjoyed relative success in America, but in the UK in February 2004 she was in for a resounding failure.

It all started with unsuccessful advertising slogans about "masculinity in a bottle" and "life's grip." Unfortunately, the word "spunk" used in them, which was supposed to mean fortitude, grip, masculinity, and so on, turned out to be an allegorical name for sperm in England, and the campaign was laughed at. It got even worse when the "purest" Dasani water turned out to be just tap water from the city of Sidkup in Kent. It was processed and bottled, but in fact it was no different from ordinary tap water. Coca-Cola officials tried to claim that they had not claimed anything about Dasani's origins, but the Trade Standards Department fought back by investigating whether Dasani was actually cleaner than tap water, or if there was no difference between the two.
Razgitsa was discovered: in March 2004, a supposedly carcinogenic bromine compound was found in water. Dasani disappeared from stores, and even having the opportunity to resume her release in 2012, Coca-Cola decided to abandon her. Amazing product failure!