The archive · Content & Film · Product decision · 2017–2018
Sweden's Museum of Failure turns 70+ product flops into a public attraction (2017)
Samuel West opens a museum in Helsingborg showing Google Glass, New Coke and 70 other flops — failure becomes something people pay to see.
Museum of Failure
What it had to solve
Clinical psychologist and innovation researcher Samuel West kept confronting the statistic that 80 to 90 percent of innovation projects fail, yet those failures are buried and never discussed. He decided to collect them and make failure itself the exhibit, launching the Museum of Failure in Helsingborg, Sweden.
How it works
In June 2017 the Museum of Failure opened in Helsingborg, Sweden: an exhibition of famous products that flopped, curated by clinical psychologist Samuel West. On display were green Heinz ketchup, fat-free Pringles, Colgate frozen lasagna, Coca-Cola BlaK, Pepsi Crystal, Harley-Davidson cologne, Google Glass, Segway and the Apple Newton, each labelled with why it failed.
West's premise was that 80 to 90 percent of innovation projects fail, yet almost none of that failure is seen or studied. He collected the visible exceptions — products that became punchlines — and presented them with humor and a serious argument that failure is a normal, necessary part of trying.
The museum opened on June 7, 2017 with more than 70 exhibits and charged 100 Swedish kronor (about $11). AP and other outlets spread the story worldwide within days, failed-product donations arrived weekly, and companies booked group visits to study what went wrong.
Why it lands
- It made a taboo — failure — the product itself, so the subject matter generated the international press coverage.
- Real, recognizable failures (Google Glass, New Coke, Segway) gave every visitor an immediate emotional hook.
- Explaining why each product failed turned entertainment into education, attracting companies as well as tourists.
- A pop-up, touring format let the idea travel cheaply and stay newsworthy.
What it did
Within days the opening was covered by AP and other outlets worldwide, failed-product donations arrived weekly, and companies booked group visits to study what went wrong. The collection grew past 100 exhibits and began a world tour, opening in Los Angeles in December 2017 and later appearing at venues including Paris's Musée des Arts et Métiers.
What you can take
When a taboo is the problem, put the taboo itself on display: reframing failure as a collection of exhibits turns embarrassment into education, press coverage and a business model.
Since then
The collection grew beyond 100 exhibits and began a world tour: a US run opened in Los Angeles in December 2017, was extended after packed crowds, and later editions appeared at venues including Paris's Musée des Arts et Métiers. West built the museum into a brand with a consulting arm (MOX) that sells pop-up museum events and keynotes to organizations wanting to make failure discussable.
Sources
- Sweden's Museum of Failure celebrates products that flopped
- The Museum of Failure Lives Up to Its Name
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