Please Use Straw Hole
Why does Tropicana care how I drink their orange juice? I don’t want to use the straw. I just want to open the carton and drink. Why is it so important to them that they not only have to waste a fourth of their carton to tell me how to use a straw AND print “Please Use Straw Hole” at the point where I want to open the carton?
I wonder what went wrong at Tropicana that caused them to print the phrase, “Please Use Straw Hole” on their cartons…
“It looks like the subjects in Marketing Research just opened up the cartons instead of using the straws again.”
“Even with the ‘Click and Sip’ explanation printed on the side?”
“Yep.”
“What else can we do to make them use the straw? They’re supposed to use the straw, because it’s like, you know… it’s like you stuck a straw into an orange and just started drinking. That’s our logo.”
“Yeah… about that… have you ever tried doing that?”
“Yeah. It tasted horrible. Our orange juice is way better than that.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“Maybe if we put a warning on the carton right where they would open it up, then they’d use the straw…”
:D I love the imagined marketing conversation.
Comment by Braidwood — 5/3/2006 @ 10:09 pm
Thank you! I didn’t think there was anyone else out there who thought about this but me. I just want to do some things the old fashioned way. Can’t they just leave some things alone? Good post – I’ll forward it on.
Comment by Sherrilyn — 5/6/2006 @ 4:28 pm
hi
Quite accidentally and inexplicably I come across your web site. Funny thing that I can’t speak propper English but I’m able to understand what is your writing about.
Tom
Comment by Tom — 5/9/2006 @ 9:02 am
I actually opened the first one I consumed. Defiantly. They’re not easy to open..that’s why I think they say… This one I used the straw. And I think they want you to burp because I got an air/OJ mix with the straw…not good. Cheers! Alan
Comment by Alan — 5/23/2006 @ 1:06 pm
oh – so the straw extends…
I was just trying to drink it with the (apparently) inexplicably short straw provided and didn’t have any luck.
damn near impossible to open the carton normally – maybe next time I’ll get some OJ that doesn’t need instructions…
Comment by Rich — 7/27/2006 @ 12:03 pm
Right on! I thought the exact same thing when I opened my juice the other day. It seems they might have stopped, though, as today’s says “Shake Well for Best Taste” in the same spot. Oh wait, it says “Please use straw hole on the other side, the side that actually has the arrow pointing to it with the word open. Ooops. Not only did I not use the straw hole, I opened the wrong side. Juice police, I dare you to come find me in Baltimore ….
Comment by Katie — 5/9/2007 @ 6:07 am
I just did a google search for “please use straw hole” because I was curious if maybe there was some sort of toxic glue or something being used on the carton that will poison you unless you PLEASE USE STRAW HOLE.
My god, though, Katie above is right, there’s a little arrow that says “open”! What up, Tropicana? Mixed signals!
I have a number of issues with the design of the tropicana carton. I really hate the way the text is aligned and line-broken underneath “please use straw hole”. I think it’s important to keep phrases on the same line. For some reason, I guess because I’ve already put so much thought into this, I’m going to retype it here, the way it is formatted on the carton. All caps signifies big, sometimes bright orange, text.
TROPICANA ORANGE JUICE IS MADE WITH FRESH ORANGES.
Nothing added. Nothing taken away. Enjoy our STRAIGHT-FROM-THE- ORANGE TASTE today.
That last line, especially, looks insane, with the mix of big and little letters… “Orange Taste”?
Ok, that’s all. Thanks!
Comment by Ian R — 5/24/2007 @ 10:48 am
Ah google, answering all of life questions. Three full years after the post i am still directed to a meeting of like minded individuals. Thank you Laura.
I looked and my carton after the first sip, read the request and thought, “why the hell would i do that?”
The worst part of all however. My orange juice had no straw at all! No nubs of glue where it should have been. No empty wrapper. Nothing! The other Juices in the bagel place’s case…… none! It’s a conspiracy.
Comment by Gnatbean — 4/28/2009 @ 7:23 am
I too wondered why they beg you to use the straw hole.
Also, I remember when they first started with the straw hole and an extender straw was glued to the carton in a little plastic seal. Not any more. I’m glad. I don’t like using a straw, and I don’t like “options” filling our landfills and oceans with more and more and more plastic “disposable” items. nothing is disposable. I can’t remember ever having a problem opening or drinking from a carton. – Juan
Comment by Juan — 6/29/2009 @ 5:12 am
I’ll chime in- my guess is that it’s an example of overmarketing product management. Someone’s job (some team’s job?) is to work on that carton, so it’s overdesigned and overworked and- you end up with text that, out in the real world, leaves people thinking… What were they thinking. Interestingly, probably not intended, is that they have us here talking about it their product. For years.
Comment by Dan — 1/19/2012 @ 7:58 am
meanwhile, 6 years later…
Me: oooOOo Orange juice! :)
Tropicana: OPEN HERE, BRO.
Me: okie dokie!! Opens, goes to take a sip
Tropicana: Please use straw hole. noob.
Me: huh? :/
Tropicana: I SAID PLEASE USE STRAW HOLE.
Me: OK OK. opens straw hole But i has no straw
Tropicana: HAHAHAH TROLOLOLOLOLOLOL U MAD?
Me: I’m never buying Tropicana again! buys Ocean Spray ….damn it, this tastes like stagnant lemon water. sadface
Tropicana: OLOLOL Y U MAD THO? PLEASE USE FAIL HOLE.
Me: tear
Comment by Anonicana — 2/23/2012 @ 4:14 pm