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Tropicana Is Bowing To Brand Loyalty

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By STUART ELLIOTT

The New York Times

Published: February 24, 2009

The PepsiCo Americas Beverages division of PepsiCo is bowing to public demand and scrapping changes made to a flagship product, Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice.

Redesigned packaging that was introduced in early January is being discontinued, and the previous version will be brought back in the next month.

Also returning will be the longtime Tropicana brand symbol, an orange from which a straw protrudes. The symbol, meant to evoke fresh taste, was supplanted on the new packages by a glass of orange juice.

The about-face comes after consumers complained about the makeover in letters, e-mail and by telephone, clamoring for a return of the original look.

Some of those commenting described the new packaging as "ugly" or "stupid" and resembling "a generic bargain brand" or a "store brand."

This type of consumer response is becoming increasingly common as interactive technologies enable people to rapidly convey opinions to marketers.

"You used to wait to go to the water cooler or a cocktail party to talk over something," said Richard Laermer, chief executive officer at RLM Public Relations in New York.

"Now, every minute is a cocktail party," he said. "You write an e-mail, and in an hour you've got a fan base agreeing with you."

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