Unilever released its powerful new detergent, Persil Power, in 1994. It had a newly patented stain removal formula known as the Accelerator. The company was so certain of its new formula, that they went out and spent $300 million on marketing the new product without doing any real test marketing. They would end up paying big time for that overconfidence.
When consumers began using Persil Power, it soon became apparent that the detergent was damaging clothes when used in high temperatures. After only nine months on the market, Persil Power was pulled from the shelves and replaced with Persil New Generation, which did not include the Accelerator formula.
Colgate Kitchen Entrees
Here is another company that veered too far from its brand. In 1982 Colgate, known for its toothpaste brand, decided to put other things in the mouth of its consumers, namely, frozen dinners which it marketed as Colgate Kitchen Entrees. They were hoping to jump on the prepared foods bandwagon but instead were left by the side of the road.
We have no idea what the quality of the product was because it seems like consumers were unable to make the leap. The Colgate logo seems to have made them wary and the entrees couldn’t compete with other well-established food brands. Not only was the launch unsuccessful, it actually drove down Colgate’s toothpaste sales as well.
Harley Davidson Fragrances
Manly motorcycle company Harley Davidson tried to connect to its feminine side in 1994, and unsurprisingly the results were an unmitigated disaster. They came out with a cologne called Legendary Harley-Davidson, which we would have to assume smelled like burned rubber and engine grease. The sales were underwhelming, but you can’t say that they gave up on the idea quickly, they released their last perfume in 2005, under the name Black Fire.
Since that time, all their fragrances have been discontinued. The company also tried to branch into other off-brand products in the 1990s, such as wine coolers and aftershave, but could not make them sell. Seems like they should stick to what they know.
DH 106 Comet
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was the air travel that most of us grew up with. In 1949, De Havilland introduced the Comet, the very first commercial airliner. It was a marvel of innovation, but sadly after just a few years, the Comet was plagued by unexplained crashes, planes which overran the runway and one memorable mid-air explosion.
De Havilland was working hard to redesign the ill-fated plane but was never able to recover after the incidents had damaged their reputation. American companies Douglas and Boeing stepped in and have over time become synonymous with air travel.
DeLorean DMC-12
You may recognize the DeLorean from the Back to the Future film series, where it was used as a time machine. The automobile’s story, however, is far less glamorous. John DeLorean left General Motors and went off on his own to open the DeLorean Motor Company in 1973. They suffered many production delays and finally released the DeLorean DMC-12 in 1981.
The sports car’s strange design was not embraced by the public and less than half of the 7,000 units produced were sold by 1982. Sadly, the company filed for bankruptcy in 1982, three years too soon to enjoy the sales boost which could have occurred after the movie’s release in 1985.