It’s all well and good to redesign your look, whether that’s your logo or website or advertisement or packaging. But make sure you don’t completely confuse and piss off your loyal customers in the process.
Case in point: Tropicana. When I first saw their new cartons of OJ on the grocery store shelf, I thought, “Oh, boy, that’s bad. That’s just confusing.” Looks like a generic or bargain brand. And then of course I proceeded to take home grapefruit juice instead of the OJ that I wanted. I like grapefruit just fine, but I found out that I need to be prepared for it — that first swig was quite pucker-inducing! I couldn’t tell the difference between one new carton and the other. Lousy designs!
And I’m not the only one. Went online and found anti new-Tropicana groups on Facebook. And all kinds of posts on Twitter.
Well, time and good luck for me, Tropicana is now switching back. There’s even an article in the NY Times today.
So, good for Tropicana. They heard the social media roar. So I say, yes, innovate, move forward, but listen to your customers.
