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Tropicana rebranded in August in partnership with Sunhouse, returning 15 years after a major rebranding failure in 2009. At the time, PepsiCo, the owner, dropped the classic arched logo and orange with straw and changed the packaging to a simpler one, but the rebrand failed due to consumer backlash and plummeting sales. Tropicana lost more than $100 million, making it one of the worst marketing failures in history.
Unlike the past, when the brand simplified its visual identity, this rebranding focused on reinterpreting existing assets in a modern way. The iconic leaf on the 'i' was replaced with an orange circle, which connects to the orange juice box lid. The retro-inspired font and orange color were used to reinterpret Tropicana's heritage in a modern way. The brand's heritage was visually represented by the signature of founder Anthony T. Rossi and the orange hand-drawn.
Tropicana has done a great job of keeping the legacy of its original brand alive in this rebrand, but it has recently fallen into a new nightmare: its packaging.
Tropicana has changed its unique bottle design to a regular plastic bottle, which has drawn strong backlash from customers who say the size of the bottle has been reduced but the price has not been reduced enough. Fans are criticizing “shrinkflation” and it has led to a decline in sales in the second half of 2024.
Tropicana said it had improved the bottle to make it easier to pour and store, but customers said the new bottle's design had become plain and they missed the ergonomic shape of the old carafe bottle.
Similar to the failed design change case in 2009, this case is also being pointed out as an example of failing to predict the minds of consumers. This is an example of how fatal it can be to reduce the brand's unique identity and focus only on efficiency.
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