You can try and relay the power of branding to the world and to your clients, but sometimes they just need to experience it for themselves. Branding is such a sub-conscience thing, that many times you are not aware you are buying into it. That is until the branding changes in such a drastic way.

That was the case for Tropicana, and as the great Harry Carry would say, "Holy Cow". Their consumers let them know that they were not pleased with the change! Tropicana made the top 10 dumbest moments in business for 2009... so far. Fortune magazine listed the TOP 10 in an article that you can read here. The following is an excerpt from that article: 

Tropicana's Botched Redesign

Tropicana drinkers, it turns out, are as passionate about packaging as they are about pulp. That's why they rebelled when parent company PepsiCo and consultancy Arnell overhauled the juice line's packaging in January as part of a $35 million branding campaign called "Squeeze."

Tropicana fans said the simplicity of the new design reminded them of store-brand generics. And who wants to be mistaken for a generic consumer?

Within a month, the public's flogging by e-mail, phone, and blogs forced PepsiCo to bring back the old straw-in-an-orange cartons. Other parts of the campaign remain, but PepsiCo will probably think twice before it tries updating this icon again.

To not recognize the power of branding cost PepsiCo a lot of $$$. To not know your own brand, and the value of the orange with the straw, not only cost them in the stores, but also in the cost of the redesign and packaging. 

Don't mess with a good thing.