Tropicana's 2009 Packaging Redesign: A Failed Rebrand
Tropicana's 2009 packaging redesign is one of the best-known consumer brand failures. PepsiCo launched new cartons for Tropicana Pure Premium on January 8, 2009, unit sales fell 20% between January 1 and February 22, and the company announced on February 23 that it would scrap the design. A 2024 bottle redesign drew a second backlash.
What happened to Tropicana's packaging in 2009?
Tropicana Pure Premium was the brand's best-selling product in North America, with annual sales above $700 million, according to The Branding Journal. On January 8, 2009, Tropicana launched new packaging from the Arnell Group, which replaced the familiar orange with a straw with a large glass of orange juice, per Marketing Above the Noise. The redesign was reportedly part of a $35 million branding and advertising campaign.
Arnell founder Peter Arnell said the aim was to move the brand "into a more current or modern state," The Branding Journal reported. The product itself did not change.
How much did sales fall, and how fast did Tropicana reverse?
Unit sales of Tropicana Pure Premium fell 20% between January 1 and February 22, 2009, and the company reversed course on February 23, less than two months after launch. The figures below come from Information Resources Inc. data reported by Ad Age and Bloomberg.
Competitors benefited. Varieties from Minute Maid, Florida's Natural and Tree Ripe posted double-digit unit sales increases during the period, and private-label juice also rose, Ad Age reported. Tropicana North America president Neil Campbell said the company had "underestimated the deep emotional bond" shoppers had with the old carton, as Marketing Above the Noise quotes him.
Why did the Tropicana redesign fail?
The redesign failed because it changed the most recognizable cue on the shelf without changing the product. The old carton's orange with a straw was the shopper's shortcut to the brand, and the new design removed it.
Recognition cost. Design critic Astuteo noted that Tropicana.com needed a page explaining how to find the product on the shelf.
Severity. Researchers cited by The Branding Journal said redesigns usually cause a small, temporary dip, never as severe as 20%.
Brand switching. Competitors' double-digit gains in the same window point to shoppers moving to other juices, not simply buying less.
The 20% figure covers about seven weeks, so other factors cannot be ruled out. But the speed of the reversal suggests PepsiCo reached the same conclusion from its own data.
What happened when Tropicana redesigned again in 2024?
Tropicana redesigned its bottles in 2024 and drew a second backlash. Fortune reported that Circana data showed sales falling 10.9% in August and 19% by October 2024, while Tropicana Brands Group said third-party data showed sales returning to normal. PepsiCo sold the brand in 2021 to private equity firm PAI Partners, and it is now owned by the joint venture Tropicana Brands Group, per Fortune. We found no later public sales data.
2009 carton redesign
2024 bottle redesign
Owner
PepsiCo
Tropicana Brands Group (PepsiCo sold in 2021)
Change
New carton art replacing the orange with a straw
New bottle design
Reported impact
Units down 20% in about seven weeks
Sales down 10.9% in August and 19% by October, per Circana
Outcome
Old packaging restored from February 23
Company says sales are returning to normal
What can consumer brands learn from Tropicana?
Treat packaging as the recognition system. Campbell's "deep emotional bond" is a statement about shopper habit, not decoration.
Test before a national launch. A seven-week test in a few markets would have shown the drop at a fraction of the cost.
Set a reversal trigger in advance. Tropicana reversed within two months, which limited the loss.
Watch who fills the gap. Competitors and private label took share during the dip.
Explain the change where shoppers look. A page on the brand's own site was not enough.
Tropicana launched new Pure Premium cartons on January 8, 2009, and announced on February 23, 2009, that it would restore the old design. It redesigned its bottles again in 2024.
How much did Tropicana's sales fall after the 2009 redesign?
Unit sales fell 20% and dollar sales fell 19%, about $33 million, between January 1 and February 22, 2009, according to Information Resources data reported by Ad Age.
Why did Tropicana go back to the old carton?
Tropicana said it was responding to consumer demand after sales fell and shoppers complained. Its North America president said the company had underestimated shoppers' emotional bond with the old design.
Who owns Tropicana now?
PepsiCo sold Tropicana in 2021 to private equity firm PAI Partners, and the brand is owned by the joint venture Tropicana Brands Group, according to Fortune.
Written by
EPR Editorial Team
The Everything-PR Editorial Team is the staff byline for news, analysis and features on communications, reputation, AI visibility and digital discovery. Everything-PR has published since 2009. AI tools assist with research and drafting, and every article is reviewed by a human editor before publication. Coverage follows the Editorial Policy, and substantive corrections are noted on the article under the Corrections Policy.
