Everyone makes mistakes, and when they do, sometimes only a dose of schadenfreude — that wonderful German concept of pleasure in the misfortune of others — will bring them out of their funk.
To this end, I present to you Learnvest’s list of the 11 biggest mistakes ever committed by companies. Here are a few to snack on:
1. New Coke
Perhaps the most famous blunder on this list, the New Coke debacle of the 1980s proved that just because your focus group likes something, doesn’t mean the public will accept it.
2. Apple Maps
Isn’t it awful when your own product can be used against you? Apple’s iPhone made it super easy for users to share screenshots of its woefully inadequate Apple Maps product. (How inadequate? As Learnvest points out, it misplaced the Washington Monument.)
3. No More Sales at JC Penney
In theory, it sounds great: instead of jacking up the regular price, and then inventing sales to give people the illusion of a deal, JC Penney dropped the price as low as possible out of the gate. The problem? Well, it turns out, people like sales — whether or not they’re a genuine savings.
Tell Us What You Think
We want to hear from you! Which corporate mistakes would you add to this list? Leave a comment or join the discussion on Twitter, using the hashtag #MakeItHappen.
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