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Five days

The amount of time that passed from the introduction of the Gap logo until the company’s ultimate surrender to the din of loyal customer criticism.

Ten weeks

The amount of time that passed from the introduction of New Coke until the company’s ultimate surrender to the din of loyal customer criticism.

What these incidents have in common

The Gap logo took at least six months to develop, from concept to production (it was first spotted on the company website). In an effort that likely took a couple of years, Coca-Cola reportedly had their best R&D people formulate New Coke and the best market research money could buy pointed to it being a better product. Yet in both cases the companies failed to explain why they made the change or why it was necessary.

Put a different way, the companies did not integrate the feelings of their loyal customers into their marketing plans.

When New Coke was introduced in 1985, media was broadcast one-to-many with few opportunities for feedback. Today there are multiple paths to the hearts and minds of your most loyal customers, all leading to a two-way conversation. Gap erred in not using those paths and slowly winning over the loyals while explaining their thinking about the necessity of the change. Like Coke, Gap also kept the media out of the loop, increasing the chances that the buzz would be negative rather than guided by an established plan for the logo’s unveiling.