Every founder dreams of the sleek reveal.
New logo, new tone, new swagger.
Then reality taps you on the shoulder and asks the only question that matters.
“Did anyone ask for this.”
The hall-of-fame misses are useful because they’re precise.
Tropicana ripped out its most distinctive asset — the orange with the straw — and watched sales fall 20% in 60 days, or more than $30 million evaporated while shoppers asked, “Where did Tropicana go.”
Recognition beat reinvention because the shelf is a war for milliseconds of attention.
Most shoppers buy out of familiarity and recognition, and we are always rushing for time.
Jaguar tried to “Copy Nothing,” then showed nothing.
Seven years of decline met a vaporous EV-only pivot and, in April 2025, just 49 cars sold across Europe.
That’s not minimalism.
That’s amnesia.
Everyone said they lost the plot.