[CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The International Business Times reported that the reason for the lawsuit was because plaintiffs believed the brand violated consumer protection laws. That was because the brand made statements that could be considered misleading regarding the device’s ability to provide accurate fitness reports. Nike settled the lawsuit by providing $25 gift cards or $15 checks.

The Nike+ FuelBand failed due to a number of other reasons, in addition to the inaccurate reports, according to Wareable. For instance, the brand only focused on iPhone users and practically ignored the other half of smartphone users. It was only two and a half years after its original launch that they launched the FuelBand app for Android users. By then, it was already too late.



What to Learn from the Nike+ FuelBand Failure

Like the lesson from Fitbit’s failure, the Nike+ FuelBand failure teaches us not to make false or misleading claims about what our products can do. But another important lesson from this example is to cater to the needs of all the consumers who might be interested in the product. By ignoring the needs of Android users, Nike failed to tap into a valuable potential market, and that also contributed to the FuelBand failure.

It’s important to note that when you’re developing platform-specific tech devices, you may not have enough resources to cater to the needs of users across all platforms. That means that after your initial product launch, you should set a goal to further expand your reach. Don’t wait too long to target consumers using other platforms.

Product Launch Failure #4: Amazon Fire Phone

Amazon’s Fire Phone also made a mark as one of the biggest product failures of 2014. Although it fulfilled its purpose by helping users compare the best prices of products with just the click of a button, it failed to satisfy certain needs of consumers.

It seems that Amazon was so satisfied with the device’s efficiency, that they overlooked other crucial factors. For example, the design had no visual appeal, which was a major factor in its failure.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

In an age where everyone is concerned about looking fashionable while still efficiently completing their tasks, the Amazon Fire Phone just didn’t appeal to consumers. This is perhaps why the retailer quickly discontinued production of the phone after selling their existing stock back in 2015.

While the device was efficient for Amazon to meet their business objectives, it failed to meet the needs and wants of smartphone owners.

What to Learn from the Amazon Fire Phone Failure

The failure of the Amazon Fire Phone teaches several useful lessons. The company’s CEO, Jeff Bezos, told Business Insider that the Fire Phone disaster actually turned into a good thing. Despite the failure costing them millions of dollars, he explained that it was an experiment that helped them get closer to success. Bezos also said that in order to make it big, you need to first make, “big and noticeable,” mistakes.

Regardless of what the company learned from their own mistakes, what we should learn from the Amazon Fire Phone failure is to put the needs of users first.

Don’t focus on creating a demand for your product. Instead, create products that meet the demands of people. If your product fails to fulfill the needs of your target audience, there’s little chance it’s going to succeed, even with the most unconventional and sensational marketing efforts.

Product Launch Failure #5: Hoverboards

Like the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, the Hoverboard was another tech innovation that went up in flames (pun intended). These self-balancing scooters initially hit it big in 2015.

But soon after their launch, reports of Hoverboard fires started popping up. CNet reported that many of the fires started while the boards were charging. Others occurred while users where riding them.

Source: Max Pixel

By July 2016, the U.S. CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) had recalled half a million units in the U.S. It had been determined that the root cause of the fires was overheating lithium-ion batteries. According to the CNet report, hoverboards do not have any safety standards. Nor do they fit into the existing safety standards of motorized scooters.

Top retailers like Amazon and Target made an effort to ensure that each individual component passed a safety test. However, individual components having a safety certification doesn’t ensure the safety of the product as a whole.

What to Learn from the Hoverboard Failure

The lesson from the Hoverboard failure is similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 failure. Both products did not undergo thorough testing. Additionally, there’s also the fact that there were no safety guidelines for the manufacture of these products.

If you’re manufacturing something with no safety guidelines, you need to personally take it upon yourself to run a thorough test. It’s important that you ensure that your product doesn’t cause harm to consumers.

Product Launch Failure #6: EA’s Battlefield 1

Battlefield 1 wasn’t exactly a product launch failure. It was more of a product launch marketing failure.

The first-person shooter game from Electronic Arts (EA) was set in World War I. To promote the product launch, EA used the hashtag “#justWWIthings.”

After posting just two images, the campaign received tons of backlash and caused quite a stir in the Twitterverse. After which, EA decided to halt the marketing campaign for a while, according to The Guardian.

One of the images was a GIF of a soldier getting burned by a flamethrower. The caption read, “When you’re too hot for the club.” EA tweeted the GIF with the text, “Weekend goals. #justWWIthings.” The post sparked an outrage, not only on Twitter but on other social media platforms as well.

Source: The Guardian

The second image showed soldiers in a battlefield. It included the text, “When your squad is looking on point.” It sparked less controversy but wasn’t met with much appreciation either.

All of this happened just 2 weeks before Remembrance Sunday. The holiday is similar to Veteran’s Day and commemorates the loss of British military in both World Wars. The campaign was clearly very poorly timed. Many social media users expressed their disappointment with it for being insensitive towards people who died during the war.

When you compare the needless slaughter of millions a century ago to, I dunno, clubbing or something #justWW1things — Jon Brady (@jonbradyphoto) October 31, 2016

EA promptly removed and apologized for the posts. But hundreds of Twitter users had already used the hashtag to condemn and mock the game, (as you can see in the tweet below).

What to Learn from the EA Battlefield 1 Failure

As mentioned earlier, the biggest problem with this product launch was the insensitive nature of the promotion. Their mistake shows that product launch marketing can quickly make, or break your new product.

The #justWWIthings campaign didn’t exactly ruin the launch. But it did have a huge impact on the opinions of many social media users, who may have otherwise been potential customers.

During the brainstorming session of your product launch promotion, you need to carefully plan your strategy. If it’s a sensitive matter, will you be offending people by adding light humor? What kind of humor will best suit the campaign? Are there any upcoming holidays or events that may impact your product launch? All of these questions can make a huge difference in how well your marketing campaign promotes your launch.

Final Thoughts

As you’ve seen above, many new products are epic fails. In fact, research shows that anywhere from 30% to 80% of new products fail. Frightening thought, right?

When it comes to launching new products, even well-established industry leaders like Amazon and Nike make the occasional mistake. Luckily, we can learn a lot from their failures. Keep their mistakes in mind as you plan your product launch marketing strategy.

What did you think of these products? Are there any other epic product launch failures you’d like to add to the list? Let me know in the comments below. And feel free to connect with me if you want to make sure your product launch doesn’t end up a disaster.