Arnell Group, a brand's biggest nightmare?

Ever since the new year, I have been feeling that things are a bit off.  It began when I walked into Campus Convenience to buy orange juice (I've been sick for the last month), and when I bent down to pick up a carton of Tropicana orange juice, the carton looked overly orange. At that moment, I had a mental struggle, and thought to myself: Is this the right carton of orange juice I have been buying forever?

I bought it anyways because it was the only brand of carton orange juice the store had, but I felt uncomfortable drinking orange juice from an overly simplified, sans-serified Tropicana orange juice.

This new design was done by Arnell Group, 'a multi-disciplinary brand and product invention company' (brand consultants?).  *UPDATE: Tropicana has decided to go back to the old carton design, but keep the NEW orange 'squeeze' top that replicates the process of squeezing oranges every time you open the carton.  THIS IS COOL!  

Arnell is also responsible for the Pepsi logo change (I don't like Pepsi to begin with so I don't care, but Pepsi's logo change also made me feel weird).  Not to totally discredit Arnell Group, they have elevated some brands that I recognize like Bank of America, DKNY and Banana Republic.  However...  

I thought every marketer has learned NEVER to drastically change a brand that has always done well.  I don't understand how Pepsi (a huge competitor to Coca-Cola, who is very brand consistent) could let 'a multi-disciplinary brand and product invention company' tell them to CHANGE THEIR LOGO. Oh my god, those new bottles are hideous, looks like a graphic designer's school project.

Brand schizophrenia is not uncommon, but if Tiffany & Co. decides to change its font to Helvetica and change Tiffany Blue to Seafoam green I will go bezerk. Or, if McDonalds decides to widen its arches because it increases wind flow which increases profits I will lose faith in marketers.  

If I was a brand right now and Arnell pitched me an idea... STAY AWAY (or think really hard about the consumers that have been supporting your brand and the mental struggle you may cause them).