Which was a total product failure of a big company in the past decade.?

Ten Marketing Disasters
Diagnosed by Kathleen Ervin, Failure's director of marketing

1. New Coke. "This is the standard for marketing failures. Coca-Cola, in an attempt to revitalise its brand, almost destroyed it [by launching a new formula]. But the story had a happy ending because by introducing New Coke, the company ended up revitalising its original product. It just demonstrates that failure is rarely a black-and-white issue and the final result often takes a long time to mainfest itself."

2. Levi's. There is such a thing as brand superiority. Levi's thought its brand was unshakeable. Years of neglect and lack of marketing focus slowly eroded the brand's vitality."

3. Burger King. "When is a hamburger not a hamburger? When it's a cultural way of life. BK made the big mistake of going head to head with McDonald's in advertising. Instead of focusing on what was different about BK, they compared what was the same about BK and McDonald's."

4. Snapple. "In the 1990s, Snapple led the way in the US non-carbonated soft drinks sector, with its quirky ads and customer-centred marketing campaigns. However, it could not make the transition from a new brand to a standard, and after millions of misspent marketing dollars, finally gave up trying."

5. Fruit of the Loom. "Another fine example of a clothing brand resting on its laurels. Instead of reaching out to new customers, it depended on the old, to its cost."

6. The Edsel. "Because of its total lack of marketing, the Edsel was unable to leverage itself against all the bad publicity it received. The car eventually went out of production in the early 1960s."

7. Pets.com. "Not in recent memory has a commercial done so much to establish a new brand, and an internet brand at that. However, the spokes-puppet in the ad soon eclipsed the brand and pets.com was left with a hefty ad bill and little name-recall."

8. George Bush re-election campaign. "How did a relatively unknown governor from Arkansas trounce the incumbent, George Bush? The answer is simple: poor marketing. While many ask whether Bush was unwilling or unable to get on the marketing bandwagon, the outcome was evident.

9. Taco Bell. "Although Taco Bell's ad campaign featuring a chihuahua was highly successful in the eyes of the consumer, it apparently did not sell enough tacos for Taco Bell and the dog soon got the axe. This was an example of a great ad that didn't drive people into stores."

10. Polaroid. "Great product, great brand, but all attempts to update it have failed."