New Coke
In 1985, Coca-Cola changed both its recipe and its branding. New Coke is arguably the best-known example of a company biffing their rebrand. American culture completely rebelled against the soda company, with late-night hosts eviscerating the change and executives getting hostile letters. Coca-Cola promptly switched back, which tripled sales, leading many to believe it was a failure on purpose, introduced to boost the company’s flagging sales in the cola wars.