Most companies would like us to forget about their costly marketing mistakes, but many of these products are part of a Museum of Failure collection being exhibited around the world. | article | video |

The museum’s travelling exhibition reminds us that success is often accompanied by an equally astounding flop, even for some of the world’s most recognizable brands. Some may not realize that for every mega success like the iPhone, VCR and Ford Mustang, there are a couple of Apple Newtons, Betamaxes and Edsels, that crashed and burned before them.  

In the Museum of Failure, which “celebrates these marketing missteps in all their glory,” there are many products that make you wonder what they were thinking. How could marketing executives for such well-funded brands make such poor decisions? While others will make you wonder who decided that these products were failures.

Some of these brands were on store shelves, in commercials, and on billboards, creating the perception that they were successful, while they were being quietly phased out of existence. 

Customers who were already loyal to many of these popular brands proved that they didn’t want their favourite products rebranded, adjusted or changed. Google Glass, New Coke, Crystal Pepsi, fat-free Pringles, and Peeps Apple Pie Oreo were abandoned — in some cases deliberately crushed — and made obsolete. Some products failed to make a comeback on future attempts or were only available for a limited time. 

“I’m back and you’re fired,” reads the package. Trump: The Game, originally sold from 1989 to ‘90 and then again in 2004. The game has disappeared, except for archival copies like the one on show in the Museum of Failure exhibit.

Not so fast. Products like Birthday Cake Oreo are currently on supermarket shelves in Canada. Crystal Pepsi had a limited return in 2016. The clear formula was used for other products, like Tab, a cola from the same company, which quickly faded away.

The window display at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre housed 20 of the creations from the 100-piece collection. Products were showcased in sections decorated like fridges, supermarkets, and rooms. The museum showcased My Friend Cayla, the internet-connected talking doll, and Growing Up Skipper, a doll that grew taller and increased its breast size when the arms were rotated.

Walking down the hallway, looking at these pieces of culture and history felt like window-shopping at a 20^th-century department store. The kiosk displayed a Roland 303 analog synthesizer, designed to play bass accompaniment and solo guitar.

There was a miniature-sized pink Edsel, and books on how to turn your ideas into a money machine. Several products bore the name of the former real estate developer and reality TV host turned president, Trump.

Who knew that former Dynasty star Linda Evans had a beauty products line that included a skin care mask?

Most of their clients are men, but that didn’t stop this popular American motorcycle company from creating a perfume for women, Harley-Davidson eau du perfume pour femmes. The brand Febreze, owned by Procter & Gamble, created Scentstories, the air freshener shaped like a CD player. Shania Twain’s music was used in the television commercial, which confused customers who couldn’t figure out if it was an air freshener or a music player. A package of lasagna had a Colgate logo the size of a tube of toothpaste on the front. These products didn’t catch on.

Neither did the heavy-looking golf club, a Kodak printer/camera device, and a barcode reader shaped like a cat — but, ironically, was used like a computer mouse. The CueCat (also known as :CueCat) had a barcode scanner at the end of its nose. The device saved magazine readers the work of typing website addresses for products that appeared in print magazine ads into a browser. 

According to the Museum of Failure, millions of the products were sent to magazines like Forbes and Wired. Between 2001 and 2002, investors lost $185 million on the CueCat. Some critics called it one of the worst products ever made. Gizmodo listed it as the “1 worst invention of the decade.” Other critics, like Tech Times, suggest that it was ahead of its time. 

The CueCat helped to popularize barcode scanning. The technology was later replaced by smartphones and other scanning devices — which led users to landing pages and websites on the internet. 

Dr. Samuel West originated the museum’s collection as part of his work on corporate success and innovation. The exhibition was first displayed in Sweden, went to Los Angeles and made pop-up appearances in museums worldwide. The exhibition at Harbourfront was its first presentation in Canada.

by Cherryl Bird – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
X @ladycbird | Instagram @cherrylbird