16 Products That Disappeared After a Single Commercial
Not every product launch goes according to plan. Despite massive research, development, and marketing investments, some items barely make it out of the starting gate before being yanked from shelves forever.
The marketing world is filled with expensive missteps and unfortunate timing that doom otherwise promising products. Here is a list of 16 products that vanished after just a single commercial campaign, reminding us that even the biggest companies can stumble spectacularly when trying to win over consumers.
Wow! Chips
Frito-Lay’s fat-free potato chips seemed like a dieter’s dream come true when they launched in 1998. Their single commercial campaign proudly touted the miracle ingredient olestra, which allowed for guilt-free snacking.
Unfortunately, what the cheerful ads failed to mention prominently was Olestra’s unfortunate side effect—severe digestive issues that sent consumers running to the bathroom. The FDA eventually required warning labels about “abdominal cramping and loose stools,” effectively killing any appetite consumers had for the product.
Apple Pippin
Before dominating the tech world, Apple had its share of flops, including the Pippin gaming console. Its single commercial in 1996 presented it as a revolutionary gaming system that doubled as an internet device.
The marketing couldn’t overcome the console’s fundamental problems—it was priced at a steep $599 (about $1,100 in today’s money) and had very few games available. Consumers weren’t impressed, and the Pippin disappeared after selling fewer than 42,000 units worldwide.
Like Go2Tutors’s content? Follow us on MSN.
Colgate Kitchen Entrees
Sometimes brand extension goes too far, as Colgate discovered with their frozen meal line in the 1980s. Their single commercial attempted to convince consumers that the same company making their toothpaste should also make their lasagna.
The cognitive dissonance proved too strong—people couldn’t separate the minty freshness associated with Colgate from their dinner expectations. The product flopped spectacularly, becoming a classic business school example of brand overextension.
Earring Magic Ken
Mattel’s attempt to make Ken more appealing to young girls resulted in 1993’s Earring Magic Ken, whose single commercial showed him with bleached blonde hair, a purple mesh shirt, and a suspiciously placed necklace. Parents quickly noticed the doll’s striking resemblance to gay club culture aesthetics of the early ’90s, generating immediate controversy.
Mattel recalled the product after just weeks on shelves, though not before it became one of the bestselling Ken dolls in history thanks to its popularity in adult collector communities.
TouchOfYogurt Shampoo
Clairol’s bizarre 1979 shampoo formulation containing real yogurt seemed innovative on paper. The single commercial campaign promised the protein benefits of yogurt for your hair, delivered in a sleek bottle.
Consumers were thoroughly confused—was it a food product or a hair product? The ambiguous messaging led to reports of people accidentally eating it and others refusing to put food in their hair.
The product disappeared within months, leaving behind only puzzled consumers.
Like Go2Tutors’s content? Follow us on MSN.
Coors Rocky Mountain Sparkling Water
Coors attempted to leverage their mountain spring water reputation by launching a non-alcoholic sparkling water in 1990. Their single commercial emphasized the purity of the water without addressing the cognitive dissonance of buying water from a beer company.
Consumers couldn’t separate the Coors brand from alcohol, and retailers were confused about whether to stock it with beer or with water. The product fizzled out quickly, proving that not all brand extensions make sense to consumers.
Life Savers Soda
In 1985, Wrigley thought their popular candy would translate perfectly to a carbonated beverage. The single commercial showed teenagers enthusiastically drinking the soda, promoting it as tasting “just like Life Savers candy.”
And that was precisely the problem—the soda tasted exactly like liquid candy, which proved to be too sweet even for American palates accustomed to sugary drinks. The product lasted less than a year despite significant marketing investment.
Google Glass
Google’s ambitious augmented reality eyewear received a flashy commercial in 2013 showing people seamlessly integrating the futuristic technology into their everyday lives. The reality proved far different from the marketing.
Early adopters were nicknamed “Glassholes,” privacy concerns mounted over the built-in camera, and the $1,500 price tag limited mass appeal. While technically available for purchase briefly, Google pulled the consumer version after the initial Explorer program, making its splashy commercial a one-and-done affair.
Like Go2Tutors’s content? Follow us on MSN.
Bic Underwear
Bic, known for disposable pens and lighters, somehow decided underwear was their next logical product. Their 1998 commercial showed models wearing “disposable” underwear with the tagline “When it’s time for a change.”
Consumers couldn’t wrap their heads around disposable underwear from a pen company, and retailers had no idea where to stock the product. The line disappeared almost immediately, proving that some brand extensions are simply too bizarre for consumers to accept.
Sony Betamax
Though Betamax actually survived for years in niche markets, its consumer version effectively died shortly after its major commercial push in the late 1970s. The commercial touted superior picture quality compared to VHS, which was technically true.
What Sony failed to address was that Betamax tapes couldn’t record a full movie, and the players cost significantly more than VHS alternatives. The format war ended quickly in the consumer market, with Sony’s technically superior product losing to the more practical and affordable VHS.
Maxwell House Ready-to-Drink Coffee
Maxwell House attempted to revolutionize morning routines with bottled coffee that could be heated in the microwave. Their 1990 commercial showed busy professionals grabbing a bottle, heating it up, and enjoying fresh coffee in seconds.
The reality was a beverage that tasted nothing like freshly brewed coffee and had an unappealing layer of separation if not shaken properly. As coffee culture grew more sophisticated, this product disappeared, unable to compete with actual fresh-brewed coffee or the later successful cold brew movement.
Like Go2Tutors’s content? Follow us on MSN.
Zune
Microsoft’s answer to the iPod received a colorful, energetic commercial campaign in 2006 showcasing its unique brown color and social sharing features. Despite actually having some innovative features ahead of its time, the Zune couldn’t overcome Apple’s dominant market position and cool factor.
The commercial’s emphasis on the brown color choice (described by Microsoft as “sophisticated”) became a punchline. Though the Zune technically lasted a few years, its fate was essentially sealed after the initial campaign failed to generate significant consumer interest.
Crystal Pepsi
Pepsi’s clear cola from 1992 had one of the most memorable commercial debuts of the decade, featuring Van Halen’s “Right Now” and images celebrating clarity and purity. The marketing suggested that clear meant pure and healthy, playing into the 1990s wellness trends.
While initial sales were strong due to curiosity, consumers quickly decided they preferred their cola brown. The disconnect between the slick commercial and the product’s actual taste (which many found off-putting compared to regular Pepsi) led to its discontinuation after less than a year.
Frito-Lay Lemonade
Frito-Lay’s bizarre venture into the beverage market resulted in a lemonade that received a single commercial in 1988. The ad showed families enjoying the refreshing drink alongside Frito-Lay snacks, presenting it as the perfect pairing.
Consumers couldn’t make the mental leap from salty snacks to lemonade from the same brand, and retailers struggled with where to place the product. The lemonade disappeared within months, proving that brand extension has logical limits.
Like Go2Tutors’s content? Follow us on MSN.
Harley-Davidson Perfume
Harley-Davidson’s attempt to expand their brand into luxury items included a perfume and cologne line that received a single commercial in the mid-1990s. The fragrances were meant to capture the freedom of the open road, but motorcycle enthusiasts found the idea ridiculous, while luxury perfume buyers weren’t interested in a scent from a motorcycle company.
The products quickly disappeared from shelves, becoming collector’s items and a cautionary tale about staying true to your brand identity.
McDonald’s Arch Deluxe
McDonald’s spent over $100 million developing and marketing the Arch Deluxe in 1996, positioning it as a “burger with the grown-up taste” in its expensive commercial campaign. The ad showed children rejecting the sophisticated burger while adults savored it, effectively alienating McDonald’s core family demographic.
The premium pricing further confused consumers who weren’t looking for upscale dining at the fast food chain. Despite being one of the most expensive fast food launches in history, it disappeared within a year.
The Final Countdown
The marketing landscape is littered with these cautionary tales of products that flamed out after just one commercial campaign. These failures remind us that even with massive budgets and market research, companies can still profoundly misunderstand what consumers want or how they perceive a brand.
From cognitive dissonance to poor timing or simply bad ideas, these 16 products demonstrate that sometimes even the most polished commercial can’t save a fundamentally flawed product concept.
Like Go2Tutors’s content? Follow us on MSN.
More from Go2Tutors!
- 18 Unexpectedly Valuable Collectibles You Might Have Lying Around
- 20 Little-Known Historical Battles That Had Huge Consequences
- 20 Historical Artifacts That Scientists Can’t Explain
- 15 Inventions That Were Immediately Banned After Being Created
- 20 Actors Who Were Almost Cast in Iconic Roles
Like Go2Tutors’s content? Follow us on MSN.
