Saturday, September 26, 2026
Don't fix it if it ain't broke

They Fixed It / PepsiCo (Tropicana)

2009

PepsiCo (Tropicana)

Tropicana carton

Before
A juice carton with an orange on it and a straw stuck in the orange.
The fix
The agency Arnell swapped the orange for a close-up of a plain glass of juice.
Then
Shoppers could not find their juice. Unit sales fell 20% between January 1 and February 22, 2009, while Florida's Natural and Minute Maid posted double-digit gains.
Took it back

The orange and straw were back within about two months.

Your call

Source: fortune.com

More fixes nobody asked for

2011

Netflix

Qwikster

Before
Netflix: DVDs by mail and streaming, one account, one website.
The fix
Split the plans with a price hike, then said DVDs would move to a separate site called Qwikster.
Then
Netflix lost 800,000 US subscribers that quarter. Reed Hastings killed Qwikster on October 10, 2011, about three weeks after announcing it.
Took it back

Qwikster never launched. The price increase stayed.

Your call

2018

Snap

Snapchat redesign

Before
Snapchat, with friends' Stories and celebrity posts in the same place.
The fix
Split the app so friends went on one side and brands, publishers and celebrities on the other.
Then
More than 1.2 million people signed a petition to undo it. Kylie Jenner tweeted that she had stopped opening the app, and Snap lost about $1.3 billion in market value.
Half took it back

Snap added tabs to make Stories easier to find but kept the split.

Your call

2010

Frito-Lay

SunChips compostable bag

Before
SunChips in an ordinary plastic chip bag.
The fix
Moved to a 100% compostable bag made from a corn-based plastic.
Then
The bag crinkled at up to 95 decibels. Sales fell about 11%, and a Facebook group called 'Sorry But I Can't Hear You Over This SunChip Bag' took off.
Half took it back

Kept it for Original flavor only; a quieter compostable bag came in 2011.

Your call