The iconic food storage brand Tupperware just filed for bankruptcy protection. Officially, Tupperware aims to “protect its beloved brand as it shifts towards a digital-first, technology-led company … to enhance its omni-channel capabilities.” At the same time, the company has promised to retain agreements with independent sales consultants, who “remain a core part of the company’s sales strategy.”
Wading through all the corporate doublespeak, the demise of this once popular brand should become a case study in squandered potential and a lack of strategic vision based on all the pieces the brand had to work with. In particular, here are four ideas for steps that could have saved Tupperware:
- 1. Innovating with design.
For a brand founded by a plastic chemist, it’s easy to blame the global shift away from plastic for their woes. Yet Tupperware didn’t need to be tied to the sinking ship of plastic. They could have issued a design challenge to create an iconic new shape and design for their containers using glass. In the process, they could have used a mass luxury appeal similar to how Target reimagined their experience as Tar-zhay and set themselves apart from lower priced competitors.
- 2. Tapping cultural trends.
Many brands struggle to achieve cultural relevance, but Tupperware had it continually wrapped up in a bow and placed on their doorstep thanks to trends that they could have leveraged … but time and again they missed the boat. Trends like Tradwives on social media showcasing the homemaker lifestyle. Or the comeback of retro and nostalgic brands. Or the resurgence of the lime green brat color (perfect for Tupperware lids). The rise of ghost kitchens and the need for food containers. The pandemic and the home baking craze. Over and over again there have been trends that a nimble, culturally attuned brand could have leveraged. And Tupperware continually missed them.
- 3. Imagining bold brand partnerships.
LEGO has been the absolute best brand at teaming up with other popular brands. Crocs recently did the same thing which I also wrote about. Tupperware could have done the same thing in so many ways. Where was the yellow branded container launched in partnership with Kraft Mac and Cheese? Or the Marvel superhero themed lunch containers for kids? A brand like Tupperware could have explored those partnerships and made them happen. Tying them to food trends like paleo eating or drink ingredients for the sober curious could have been another way to extend this idea.
- 4. Activating and celebrating the sales force.
Tupperware was a brand built by the smart ingenuity of home-based entrepreneurs. In a time when women had fewer opportunities to succeed in business outside the home, Tupperware was part of a revolution … and then seemingly forgot that heritage in their quest to become a “digital-first company.” All around, entrepreneurs of all genders were building businesses, gaining influence, selling products online and could have been ideal brand partners for Tupperware too if they had been more aggressive about courting and working with them.
What do you think? Could Tupperware really have been saved by smarter strategy and more creative ideas like those above or am I proposing something that would have been detached from reality? Comment and let me know your thoughts!
