BAD IDEAS

Crash and burn: The 10 biggest product fails of all time

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Not every innovation is destined to succeed. Some ideas might sound promising on paper but fail to meet real-world consumer needs. And these flops aren’t always easy to prevent— even the most successful companies make mistakes that end up costing millions. From the infamous Ford Edsel to Colgate-branded frozen meals, there’s no shortage of failed products that should have never left the drawing board. Join us on a journey through 10 of the biggest commercial failures of all time!

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In 1985, Coca-Cola made the bold decision to change its classic formula in an attempt to compete with the rising popularity of Pepsi. The new version, known as "New Coke," was sweeter and aimed at capturing Pepsi's younger customer base. Coca-Cola’s executives believed this shift would boost sales but completely underestimated the emotional attachment millions of loyal Coke drinkers had to the original formula.

Consumer outrage was immediate, and the company was flooded with angry letters, petitions, and protests, all accompanied by disappointing sales. Just three months later, Coca-Cola was forced to reintroduce the original formula under the name Coca-Cola Classic. The episode is now remembered as a cautionary tale about the risks of tampering with beloved brands.

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Though you may have never heard of it, the Edsel was Ford's failed attempt to introduce a new automotive brand in the late 1950s. Marketed as the car of the future and named after Henry Ford’s son, Edsel Ford, the first model featured innovative elements like a push-button transmission and an overall modern design.

Unfortunately, it became a major commercial flop. While Ford executives expected it to dominate its price segment, consumers found the car unattractive and plagued by mechanical issues. The marketing hype had raised expectations so high that the car ultimately failed to live up to them, leading to one of the biggest automotive failures in history.

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Anyone with common sense would know that perfumes and Harley-Davidsons are not exactly a match made in heaven. The rugged, tough image of the motorcycle brand doesn’t align well with the idea of a pleasant fragrance—unless grease and gasoline are your go-to cologne.

Well, despite this being obvious, Harley-Davidson briefly ventured into the fragrance business in the 1990s. The ill-advised idea didn’t last long, as the brand’s consumers were confused by it, and the high-end fragrance market showed little interest. The result? The mismatched perfume was quietly pulled from shelves shortly after its release.

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While not a complete failure—similar devices made by other companies are still being made after all—the product never lived up to its inflated expectations. When the Segway was introduced in 2001, it was billed as a groundbreaking personal transport device that would revolutionize how people got around in cities.

And while the self-balancing technology was impressive, the high cost that came with it put it out of reach for most consumers. Additionally, city infrastructure wasn’t really designed to accommodate the device, making it impractical for daily use. The original Segway was discontinued in 2020, after almost two decades of poor sales.

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Who in their right mind sees a can of baby food and thinks, "We can market this to adults, you know"? Apparently, Gerber's marketing executives did. In 1974, Gerber, a brand known for its baby food, made a puzzling attempt to target adults with "Gerber Singles," a line of pureed meals.

The concept was simple: convenient, single-serve meals for adults seeking quick nutrition. However, most people weren’t interested in eating what felt like astronaut food on a daily basis. As expected, the product flopped almost immediately, with consumers finding the idea unappealing and even infantilizing. It quickly became an industry joke and was swiftly pulled from the market.

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When companies rush to introduce innovative products for quick profits, they sometimes overlook the testing phase. In 1998, Frito-Lay launched Wow! Chips, a revolutionary product marketed as fat-free snacks made with olestra, a fat substitute that couldn’t be absorbed by the body.

While the idea of guilt-free snacking seemed appealing, the new component caused very unpleasant—and rather laxative—effects on people. The product quickly earned a bad reputation, and consumers avoided it. A few years later, most olestra-based chips were removed from the market.

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What’s with well-established companies trying to venture into the fragrance industry? In the 1980s, Bic, a brand famous for its disposable pens, reliable lighters, and inexpensive razors, attempted to introduce a line of cheap, disposable perfumes. The idea was that consumers would buy fragrance as easily as they would a pen or lighter.

However, the concept of throwaway perfume didn’t resonate with the public, who typically associate perfumes with luxury and longevity. Additionally, the market for cheap perfumes was already oversaturated. Why would consumers choose a Bic perfume over other options? Sales were dismal, and the product quickly disappeared from shelves.

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Sometimes companies give too much credit to the bizarre conclusions of hare-brained marketing brainstorm sessions, but rarely as much as when Colgate decided to enter the frozen food market in the 1980s. Colgate Kitchen Entrees offered a range of ready-to-eat meals, from lasagna to roasted chicken.

However, consumers were clearly put off by the idea of buying food from a brand so closely associated with dental hygiene. Unsurprisingly, sales were terrible, as the Colgate name universally evokes thoughts of toothpaste rather than appetizing meals. Remembered as one of the worst marketing decisions in history, the experiment was quickly terminated.

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You could excuse McDonald’s for trying to expand into the pizza industry. After all, their business is fast food, and pizza is one of the most popular fast-ish food items in the world. They tried their luck with the concept in the late 1980s by introducing the McPizza, hoping to capture a share of the pizza market.

However, the pizzas took too long to prepare, clashing with McDonald’s fast-food model. Additionally, customers didn’t really associate McDonald’s with pizza, preferring their classic menu items instead. As a result, the experiment was short-lived, and most locations phased out McPizza by the mid-1990s.

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Google Glass debuted in 2013 as a cutting-edge wearable device offering augmented reality. The futuristic glasses allowed users to take photos, access the internet, and receive notifications. Despite the hype surrounding its potential, privacy concerns emerged over the built-in camera, with fears that it could lead to covert surveillance in public spaces.

But what ultimately doomed the concept was its high cost combined with limited functionality for everyday users. More of a prototype than a finished product, Google Glass struggled to find a mainstream market. It was quietly discontinued in 2015, though it is still credited with advancing the trend of wearable technology.

Be prepared to read many Italian words

Can you tell a latte from a macchiato? 10 barista coffee names explained

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There was a time when coffee was coffee, everywhere we went. Cup o’ Joe, java, wake-up juice, you name it, it was pretty much all the same beverage. And then, specialty coffee barista bars appeared and things got more complicated. Whether you walk into a Starbucks or any other coffee shop, the list can be intimidating. The following ten are some of the most common suspects. How many of these have you tried?

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We start our coffee list with maybe the most famous representative: the espresso. This beverage is a concentrated type of coffee made with specially roasted beans and an espresso machine.

Finely ground beans are packed into a portafilter, which is then locked into the base of the espresso machine. Very high pressure (a necessity for espresso) forces water through the packed grounds to pull one- or two-ounce shots of creamy, thick espresso. The only difference between espresso and coffee is in the beans and the brewing methods.

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The Italian word for milk, latte is not actually a coffee drink. A latte or caffè latte is a milk coffee that boasts a silky layer of foam. A true latte will be made up of one or two shots of espresso, steamed milk, and a final, thin layer of frothed milk on top.

On the other hand, the caffe latte often has less foam than a cappuccino and is usually served in a taller cup or glass. A caffe latte is an espresso with milk. In Italy, a Caffe is an espresso. Latte is milk. Ideally served with latte art on top and not too much foam.

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A latte macchiato is slightly different. Macchiato means marked or stained. A latte macchiato is a milk marked with an espresso. It has the same ingredients as a caffe latte but it is made and looks different. A good latte macchiato is served in a tall glass and has distinctive layers between the foam, espresso, and milk with the foam on top, espresso below the foam, and milk at the bottom.

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Another famous Italian coffee name, cappuccino is an espresso-based coffee drink that is traditionally prepared with steamed milk including a layer of milk foam. Other versions involve the use of cream instead of milk, non-dairy milk substitutes, and flavoring with cocoa powder or cinnamon.

It is typically smaller in volume than the latte we just described and topped with a thick layer of foam rather than being made with microfoam.

The name comes from the Capuchin friars, referring to the color of their habits, and in this context, referring to the color of the beverage when milk is added in small portion to dark, brewed coffee.

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Maybe not a coffee 100% but it makes an appearance on this list because it is an extremely ubiquitous item in coffee shops. The affogato is a dessert made with two main ingredients: vanilla ice cream and espresso. Originally invented in Italy, the word "affogato" literally translates as "drowned" in English. This is fitting, as the affogato is no more than a scoop of ice cream "drowned" in espresso.

While it is mainly viewed as a dessert, some restaurants and cafés in Italy still categorize the affogato as a beverage.

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In case anyone was wondering, yes, Americano is the Italian word for American. An Americano coffee is made by pouring hot water over one or two espresso shots, resulting in a drink of similar volume and strength to regular coffee.

The key to an Americano is that it starts with espresso and adopts the flavors and aromas of the espresso, but with a less powerful taste.

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A close cousin of the espresso, a ristretto is an espresso shot. It uses less hot water which creates a sweeter flavor compared to the bitter taste of a traditional shot of espresso or a doppio.

Ristretto means "restricted." Ristretto is all about quality over quantity. When less hot water is forced through the finely ground coffee beans, the result is a more concentrated flavor. The coffee tastes sweeter and less bitter because of the shorter extraction time.

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The first non-Italian entry in this list consists of black coffee, whiskey, and sugar, topped with whipped cream. Many drinks of hot coffee with a distilled spirit, and cream floated on top are given names derived from Irish coffee, although the names are not standardized.

Irish cream coffee can be considered a variant of Irish coffee but involves the use of Irish cream as a "pre-mixed" substitute for the whisky, cream, and sugar.

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Think of a cappuccino without the foam or chocolate sprinkle. Basically, a flat white is an espresso drink with steamed milk. It generally has a higher proportion of espresso to milk than a caffè latte and lacks the thick layer of foam in a cappuccino. While the origin of the flat white is unclear, various café owners in Australia and New Zealand claim its invention.

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The second non-Italian name on the list, Café au lait is French for "coffee with milk". It is coffee with hot milk added. It differs from white coffee, which is coffee with cold milk or other whiteners added. In many American coffeehouses, a café au lait is a drink of strong drip brewed or French-pressed coffee, to which steamed milk is added. American café au lait is generally served in a cup, as with brewed coffee.