In a rapidly changing marketplace, it is important to stay competitive. And one way to do that is to make product innovative. Of course large corporations don’t always succeed in that, so we made a list of 20 biggest product flops from corporate giants. Make sure you check it out.
20. New Coke, Coca-Cola (1985)
This unnecessary change wasn’t well accepted by public. The news about the company going back to the original formula was announced by Peter Jennings on General Hospital, while US Sen. David Pryor called it „a meaningful moment in US history“.
19.The Edsel, Ford (1957)
Weird body styling, unreliable controls and an ambitious run-up of ads, is what was combined to get this Ford‘s failure.
18.Facebook Phone, Facebook (2013)
An Android-skinned device whose main feature was being geared towards the Facebook Home application, was what came out from all the hype about Facebook Phone. HTC First’s price was demoted to 99 cents.
17. Newton, Apple (1993)
Even Jobs hated it, saying: „God gave us ten styluses… let’s not invent another.“
16. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Videogame), Atari (1982)
Atari spent $20 million for the movie rights, produced 4 million cartridges, but 2.5 million came back to the company.
15. Fire Phone, Amazon (2014)
The Kindle Fire tablets were clunky and had limited app options. Not even the Firefly feature was able to win over customers.
14. Blackberry Playbook, Blackberry (2011)
These Blackberry smartphones needed to be connected to the tablet via the Blackberry Bridge software. This extra step, which was totally unnecessary, was something that users found as a turn off. And at the top of that, it had a poor selection of apps.
13. Twitter Peek, Peek (2009)
This device was able to send out and receive tweets but with a 20-character preview. Users didn’t find it amusing.
12. Wow! Chips, Frito-Lay (1998)
An aritificial fat, named Olestra, which was supposed to pass harmlessly through your digestive tract, was the main part in making this chips. Insted of doing as it was pictured, it caused gastrointestinal side effects of an unmentionable variety ensued.
11. Google+, Google (2011)
This social network was made in an attempt to build a user base that will be Facebook competitor. Instead it became the highest-profile disappointment.
10. Crystal Pepsi, Pepsi (1992)
Crystal Pepsi was developed to intensify consumer interest in health, and it was citrus flavored, instead of a clear cola. Not even the Super Bowl commercial couldn’t make consumers see it as their new favourite drink.
9. Gerber Singles, Gerber (1974)
Baby-food style versions of adult food with flavors including Beef Burgundy and Mediterranean Vegetables was released by Gerber. But it turned out it was way too much convenience for the cosumers.
8. Spot Watches, Microsoft (2004)
MSN wasn’t really anyone’s favorite web portal, and with this they didn’t change that fact.
7. Google Glass, Google (2013-2014)
This product combined shy-high price, issues around privacy, and cultural backlash. It wasn’t good combination.
6. Dreamcast, Sega (1999)
This product had an early success, but it just couldn’t compete with the PS2.
5. Bikes, Smith And Wesson (2002)
Ever since 1997, S&W has been making bikes for law enforcement, but the general public didn’t find them charming.
4. Jaguar, Atari (1993-1994)
Jaguar development was running ahead of schedule, and although it sounds weird, that was the reason Jaguar wasn’t successful. It came out in 1993 in New York and San Francisco, while the rest of the world got it in 1994, so it was hard for developers to build games for its multi-chip setup.
3. Satisfries, Burger King (2013)
What was supposed to be helathier fast food, consumers saw as a combination of a drier texture and outer coating.
2. DeLorean DMC-12, DeLorean Motor Company (1981-1983)
This sports car, famous for its appearance in the Back To The Future movies, had gull-wing doors and unique body styling combined with safety issues and a bad performance.
1. Virtual Boy, Nintendo (1995)
With a small red-and-black interface, and without killer games to boot, this console was a big failure.
Make sure you share your thoughts about these product failures with us in the comment section down below.
