Tropicana Orange Juice rebranding design failure.

Before and After
May 12, 2025
tropicana-orange-juice-rebranding-design-failure.png

This was a cool graphic showing Tropicana’s sales went DOWN after swapping their iconic orange-with-a-straw image for a plain glass of juice:

On the post there was a good comment that explained part of it:

I've seen Tropicana orange juice for years, and the packaging on the right made me think it was a different product!

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Image Description

The image shows a side-by-side comparison of Tropicana's original and redesigned packaging. The original features an iconic orange with a straw, labeled "Fine," while the redesign shows a plain glass of juice, marked with "$30M in lost sales!"

Positive Aspects

The image effectively illustrates the dramatic impact of Tropicana's rebranding. By comparing the two packages, it visually communicates the consequences of the design change and supports the blog post's message about the importance of brand identity.

Key Takeaways

  • Tropicana's sales dropped 20% after a packaging redesign.
  • The original design featured a recognizable orange with a straw.
  • The new design replaced it with a plain glass of juice, leading to consumer confusion.
  • Brand identity is crucial in maintaining customer loyalty and recognition.

Additional Insights

Branding isn't just about aesthetics; it's about maintaining a connection with consumers. Tropicana's mishap serves as a reminder that familiar imagery often holds significant emotional and brand loyalty value. Before making drastic changes, companies should consider consumer attachment to existing designs.

Analysis Summary

Tropicana’s modern infographic spotlights its 2009 packaging fiasco: the iconic orange-with-straw replaced, sparking $30M sales loss. Keywords focus on rebranding, consumer confusion and orange juice, with entities Tropicana, Tropicana Orange Juice and Pure Premium anchoring the narrative. Copy adopts Before-After/Problem-Solution frameworks, using loss aversion, consistency and anchoring to alert marketers. A Z-pattern guides eyes from bold red “$30M lost sales” to vivid glass and carton imagery, engaging brand and design professionals seeking rebrand lessons.

Keywords & Trends

Identified Entities

TR
Tropicana logo

Tropicana

tropicana.com

US juice company founded 1947, now part of Tropicana Brands Group

Company
Beverages – fruit juice
Chicago, Illinois, USA
TR
Tropicana Orange Juice logo

Tropicana Orange Juice

tropicana.com

Flagship refrigerated orange juice sold under Tropicana brand

Product
Packaged orange juice
PU
Pure Premium logo

Pure Premium

tropicana.com

Not-from-concentrate orange juice line launched 1988

Product line
Premium orange juice

Style Analysis

Modern comparative infographic overlaying product photography

83%

Dominant Colors

White

45%

Orange

25%

Red

15%

Green

10%

Gray

5%

Design Elements

Speech-bubble callouts
High-contrast headline typography
Product photography
Bright brand colors
Directional arrows

Mood Keywords

critical
informative
cautionary
analytical

Copy Analysis

Standard

8th-9th grade level

62

Words

15.5

Words/sentence

Detected Frameworks

Before-After
65%

The text contrasts the successful ‘before’ package (orange with straw) with the failed ‘after’ package (plain glass), showing the negative outcome.

Before: Iconic orange-with-a-straw carton everyone recognises.
After: Plain glass of juice that looks like a different product.
Result: Sales went down and shoppers were confused.
Problem-Solution
40%

Implicit structure: Problem—sales decline and brand confusion after redesign; Solution—stick with recognisable visual assets.

Problem: New design caused shoppers to overlook the brand.
Agitation: ‘Sales went DOWN’, comment reinforces confusion.
Solution (implied): Keep or restore recognisable packaging cues.

Psychological Triggers

Loss Aversion
70%

Shoppers avoided buying because the new pack felt like losing the familiar, trusted product. Brand lost ≈20% of sales.

“sales went DOWN” emphasises the loss.
Commenter thought it was a different product, so avoided purchase.
Consistency
60%

Consumers expect visual consistency; breaking it erodes trust and recognition.

Iconic straw image replaced, destroying years of visual habit.
Comment: “made me think it was a different product!” shows violation of consistency.
Anchoring Bias
45%

Shoppers are anchored to the original orange-with-straw image; without that anchor, they fail to identify the product.

Old package acted as anchor for instant recognition; its removal breaks the mental shortcut.

Attention Analysis

Eye Flow Pattern

Z-pattern starting at top left speech bubble, sweeping to the bold red right-side headline, then diagonally down to the vivid orange glass, then across to the left carton illustration, finishing at smaller textual details on each package.

Primary Focus Areas

Large red headline “$30M in lost sales!”
Position: 440, 40
Size: 290×140
95%
Bright orange glass and “100% orange” copy
Position: 500, 440
Size: 180×140
85%
Classic carton’s orange illustration and Tropicana logo
Position: 110, 320
Size: 220×350
75%

Visual Hierarchy

$30M in lost sales! heading
Right-side orange-juice glass & 100% orange copy
Fine heading (left)
Left carton’s orange illustration
Vertical Tropicana logo
Secondary small text
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Tropicana Orange Juice rebranding design failure. | SwipeFile