5 brands that struggle to connect with millennial consumers

Editor’s note: This article is a re-run as part of our countdown of top stories from the past year.

They ruled their market segments for decades, perennially famous household names, but one of today’s most coveted markets—millennials—just isn’t interested in these brands. That disinterest is creating opportunities in markets that other up-and-coming brands can take advantage of.

Here are five of the biggest names that have fallen out of favor with modern consumers:

1. Diet Pepsi

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One of the wider varieties of soda to emerge from the Cola Wars of the 1980s, Diet Pepsi was a mainstay in many homes for the ‘90s and early 2000s. However, sales have plummeted in recent years, causing some stores to pull this formerly popular “diet” option off the shelves. The shift was initially blamed on concerns about artificial sweeteners, but it seems like the trend for millennials is away from colas entirely and more toward flavored water.

2. Victoria’s Secret