In the world of food, for every triumph like Popeye's chicken sandwich, there are countless flops. But not all failures are created equal. Some are downright despised by customers, while others simply don't sell well enough to justify the millions poured into their development.
Enter Samuel West, curator of the Museum of Failure, a traveling exhibition showcasing products that fell flat on their faces. From 3D TVs to MoviePass, there's plenty of failed innovation on display. The tragic sinking of the "unsinkable" Titanic and the Mercedes-Benz A-class compact car that failed a safety test by rolling over, show failures come in all shapes and sizes. Even tech giant Nintendo Co. Ltd. wasn't immune to failure, as evidenced by the Power Glove, a clunky and largely ineffective accessory for its gaming consoles released in 1989.
But it's the food section that's particularly fascinating.
West appreciates the food and beverage industry's evolutionary approach, noting that testing and trying new things is necessary for innovation. Even whiffs like beef and fish-flavored water for pets or New Coke are steps in the right direction, he said.
After all, without failure, there can be no success. Just look at Heinz EZ Squirt ketchup. In an effort to shake things up, Heinz turned its ketchup into every shade of the rainbow. Kids loved it, but by 2006, it was gone.
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Remember the McDonald's Arch Deluxe? A $200 million investment in a new, premium item turned out to be a massive flop. Franchisees struggled to keep up with the new sauce, buns and seasoning while customers found it overpriced. It was removed from menus in 2000.
From frozen lasagna made by toothpaste makers to coffee-flavored Coca-Cola, the Museum of Failure has seen it all. And let's not forget the infamous Coca-Cola BlāK, which not only tasted terrible but also packed a caffeine punch that could rival a triple-shot espresso.
But The Coca-Cola Co.'s failures don't end there. The museum also features Coke II, a revamp of the original formula that fizzled out with consumers within a few months. The company quickly realized its mistake and went back to the classic recipe, much to the relief of soda drinkers everywhere.
Coca-Cola's biggest competitor, PepsiCo Inc., also has a spot at the Museum of Failures. Crystal Pepsi was the translucent version of the iconic soda that Pepsi thought customers were thirsty for in 1992. But it turns out that consumers weren't too keen on a caffeine-free version of Pepsi that looked like water. Shocking, right?
Crystal Pepsi only lasted for two years before it was yanked off the shelves. The former Pepsi marketing executive David Novak, who came up with the idea, admitted in an interview with Thrillist that while it was "probably the best idea I’ve ever had," it was also "the most poorly executed." In 2007, Novak said, "If you have a fantastic idea and you mess it up, you don't get the opportunity to bring it back to life."
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