Quick Summary
- Apple was 90 days from bankruptcy—until “Think Different” saved the brand.
- LEGO was losing millions before embracing the power of storytelling.
- Marvel sold off its best superheroes but built a cinematic empire anyway.
- Domino’s admitted its pizza was awful—and turned honesty into a business boom.
When brands hit rock bottom, they have two choices: fade into obscurity or fight their way back. These four brands didn’t just survive—they turned their biggest failures into marketing masterclasses.
Read on to learn how they pulled it off.
Apple: The “Think Different” Revolution
Steve Jobs introducing “Think Different” in 1997.
Background
In the early days of personal computing, Apple was the disruptor. Founded in a garage in 1976, Apple made computers cool, colorful, and accessible at a time when they were mostly clunky beige boxes.
But by the mid-90s, things had gone horribly wrong. Microsoft Windows had taken over the market, Apple’s product line was bloated with forgettable machines, and the company had lost its creative spark.
And Steve Jobs—the guy who built Apple—had been forced out of his own company.
The Crisis
By 1997, Apple was in financial freefall—they lost $1 billion in one year. The product lineup was bloated with forgettable computers, and the company was 90 days from bankruptcy.
Customers were flocking to cheaper, faster Windows PCs. Investors were bailing. Apple was seen as a company out of sync with the times—a relic from an era when computers were seen as luxury items instead of everyday essentials.
“The Crazy Ones”—the first “Think Different” commercial.
The Reset
Desperate for a turnaround, Apple acquired NeXT, the computer company that Jobs had founded after leaving Apple in 1985.
While the official reason for the purchase was NeXT’s software (which later became the foundation for macOS), the reality was they needed Jobs to save the company.
And save it, he did.
Jobs cut Apple’s bloated product line, focused on branding and design, and doubled down on what made the brand special—bold, innovative thinking.
The “Think Different” campaign was the centerpiece of this turnaround. Instead of hyping tech specs, Apple sold a mindset. The ads featured icons like Einstein, Gandhi, and Muhammad Ali with a simple but powerful message:
“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers . . .”
Apple began selling creativity, rebellion, and genius.
The Impact
The branding shift made Apple cool again and set the stage for its comeback. In one year, the company turned a loss of $1.04 billion to a profit of $309 million.
Within a few years, they introduced the iMac, the iPod, and eventually the iPhone—products that redefined the entire tech industry.
Today, the company is worth $3.7 trillion—a long way from the brink of collapse.
Not bad for a company that almost didn’t make it out of the ‘90s.
LEGO: From Near Collapse to Blockbuster Success
Background
LEGO has always been more than just a toy. For decades, LEGO bricks fueled childhood imagination, allowing kids to build anything from towering castles to intergalactic spaceships.
But by the late 1990s, the world was changing. Video games were exploding in popularity, action figures tied to blockbuster movies were taking over toy aisles, and LEGO, despite its nostalgic charm, was starting to feel old-fashioned.
The Crisis
LEGO panicked. Instead of sticking to its core product, it threw money at everything—theme parks, clothing lines, and even a failed TV series. The result was a financial disaster.
By 2003, LEGO was losing $300 million per year and was dangerously close to going bankrupt. The brand had lost its way.
Trailer for “The LEGO Movie”
The Reset
LEGO needed to get back to what made it great: simple, creative storytelling.
The company made a decision to stop fighting pop culture and to embrace it instead. And it doubled down on storytelling with licensing deals, launching LEGO sets based on “Harry Potter,” “Star Wars,” and “Batman.”
It also leaned into digital marketing, creating YouTube series and video games. Then came “The LEGO Movie,” a masterpiece of brand marketing disguised as a fun animated film. The movie was an ad, yes, but it was also a love letter to creativity.
The Impact
Sales exploded. LEGO surpassed Mattel to become the largest toy company in the world. In 2015, it hit $5.2 billion in revenue (and still growing strong at $4.65 billion in the first half of 2024).
LEGO proved that comebacks aren’t about reinventing the wheel. They’re about rebuilding it, one brick at a time.
Marvel: The Ultimate Underdog Story
Background
Marvel Comics was born in the golden age of superheroes, launching icons like Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four. But in the 1990s, the comic book industry collapsed.
The ‘80s and early ‘90s saw a speculative bubble—people bought comics as investments, thinking they’d be worth millions one day. Publishers printed massive numbers of special editions and gimmick covers. When the bubble burst, the market imploded.
The Crisis
In 1996, Marvel filed for bankruptcy protection. Desperate for cash, it sold off the film rights to its most valuable characters.
Sony got Spider-Man, Fox got X-Men and Fantastic Four, and Marvel kept almost nothing.
That quick cash helped Marvel survive—but at a cost.
They had just given away their most popular superheroes.
“Iron Man” trailer, 2008.
The Reset
With no A-listers left, Marvel took a wild gamble—it bet everything on a crazy idea:
Build its own movie studio.
Marvel’s first move was about Iron Man. At the time, Iron Man wasn’t even a top-tier superhero. But Marvel Studios, led by Kevin Feige, bet it all on connected storytelling.
The Impact
The gamble paid off. “Iron Man” (2008) was the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
The MCU went on to become the highest-grossing film franchise of all time, making over $29 billion at the box office. And in 2009, Disney bought Marvel for $4 billion, turning a once-bankrupt company into an entertainment powerhouse.
For a company that once had to sell Spider-Man just to survive, that’s one epic comeback.
Trailer for “Thunderbolts,” the latest in the MCU franchise.
Domino’s: The “Let’s Own It” Strategy
Background
In the 1980s and 1990s, Domino’s built its brand on speed, not quality. The famous “30 minutes or less” delivery promise made Domino’s a staple for college students and busy families.
But by the 2000s, people started caring more about good pizza, not just fast pizza. Competitors like Papa John’s and local gourmet pizza shops were winning on quality.
A sample comment, released by Domino’s.
The Crisis
By 2009, Domino’s was in serious trouble. Customer reviews were brutal—focus groups said their pizza tasted like cardboard, and the sauce was compared to ketchup.
Things went from bad to worse when a disgusting viral video showed Domino’s employees doing unspeakable things to the food. (Let’s just say, you wouldn’t want to watch it before dinner.)
The internet erupted, and Domino’s scrambled to respond with a YouTube apology video—but it was nowhere near enough. The damage was done, fueling even more concerns about food safety, quality, and whether Domino’s had completely lost control of its brand.
Sales were declining. Brand trust was at an all-time low. Domino’s had a choice: keep pretending everything was fine or own up to the truth.
“Domino’s Pizza Turnaround”—in their own words.
The Reset
Instead of making excuses, Domino’s did something shocking:
It admitted its pizza sucked.
Instead of running from criticism, CEO Patrick Doyle embraced it. In 2010, he launched the “Oh Yes We Did” campaign. The ads featured real customers roasting the old recipe, followed by Domino’s chefs explaining how they completely revamped the pizza.
Domino’s also leaned into its identity as a pizza delivery company. They invested in digital platforms, introducing online ordering and the Pizza Tracker app to enhance customer convenience and engagement.
They also diversified their menu to include items like pasta, sandwiches, and desserts to appeal to a broader customer base.
But it’s the transparency that people remember.
YouTube comments following the “Turnaround” video.
The Impact
The honest approach worked. In Q1 2010, sales jumped 14.3%—the biggest increase in company history. Today, Domino’s is the largest pizza chain in the world, with 18,800 stores in over 90 countries and revenue over $4.5 billion.
Turns out, admitting your mistakes can be a delicious marketing strategy.
Marketer Takeaways
These legendary comebacks prove that smart marketing can revive even the most struggling brands.
- Sell an idea, not just a product. Apple didn’t sell computers. It sold creativity and rebellion.
- Embrace your history. LEGO didn’t reinvent itself—it doubled down on what made it great.
- Take bold risks. Marvel built an empire from B-list superheroes.
- Own your flaws. Domino’s turned brutal honesty into its biggest win.