Thanks to the wonder of social media, people these days have the power to resurrect dead brands, kill an ad or product they find offensive, prevent a firm renaming their merchandise, and a whole lot more besides. We take a look at 25 times big business was forced to backtrack because of public pressure.

Coca-Cola fans were hugely disappointed back in 1985 when classic Coke was replaced by Coke II, or New Coke, in an attempt to make a clear distinction between the company's soda and its rival Pepsi. It wasn't just the name that changed but, more importantly, the recipe. But within months customers demanded the original formula was put back on the shelves. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Kleenex owner Kimberly-Clark has responded to accusations of sexism on Twitter and elsewhere by agreeing to rebrand its classic Mansize tissues. The super-popular oversized staple, which is exclusive to the UK market, will now be known by the much less contentious moniker, Kleenex Extra Large.

Bic South Africa was pulled up for sexism in August 2015 when it launched a Facebook campaign encouraging women to “think like a man”. Coming three years after the stationery manufacturer was lampooned for releasing pink pens for her, the backlash was fierce. Within the space of 48 hours, Bic apologised for the ad, which was meant to have been “empowering”, and removed it from the site.

One of the UK's finest purveyors of Indian foods, Patak's inflamed curry fans in 2015 by tweaking the recipe of its beloved lime pickle. Irate customers took to social media to slate the reformulated condiment, flooded the firm with complaints and left scathing reviews on Amazon and supermarket websites. Needless to say, Patak's relented and reinstated the original recipe in February 2016.

Burger King removed Chicken Fries from its US menu in 2012 after seven glorious years, and diners were up in arms. Social media users mobilised and a petition was set up on Change.org calling for the return of the missing menu item. Burger King eventually caved, and Chicken Fries made a welcome comeback in 2014.

Yet another slip-up by The Coca-Cola Company. When it axed its cult “Mountain Dew Killer” in 2003, fans organised the SURGE Movement on Facebook and lobbied hard for the product's revival. Their persistence paid off in 2014 when Coca-Cola relaunched the citrus-flavoured drink on Amazon. The product has since been rolled out to convenience stores across America and Burger King outlets worldwide.

Back by popular demand, the iconic Volkswagen camper van is being revived as an eco-friendly electric vehicle. The hippie-friendly van finally went out of complete production in 2013, much to the chagrin of its many fans. Luckily, Volkswagen listened and the all-new electric version, which will be named the I.D. Buzz, will roll off production lines in 2022.

Eager for an image update, Gap launched a new logo in 2010 featuring chunkier sans-serif typography and a small blue box. The reaction from customers was furious. A staggering 2,000 negative comments were posted on the retailer's Facebook page, demanding the return of the old design. Gap took heed, and just a week later, the new logo was ditched.

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In April, an ad featuring Kendall Jenner defusing a tense situation at a protest by handing a police officer a can of Pepsi generated a Twitter storm and scorn from civil rights activists, who derided Pepsi for cynically capitalising on protest movements such as Black Lives Matter. Pepsi didn't take long to admit it had missed the mark and the ad was swiftly pulled.

Taco Bell's Crunchy Beef Burrito was jettisoned from the chain's menu in 2016, but has recently been reinstated, and may even end up becoming a permanent fixture. The 75,000-strong Beefy Crunch Movement, which has a Facebook page and website, fought hard for its triumphant return.

After decking out a New York Subway train with Nazi and Imperial Japanese regalia to promote The Man in the High Castle show back in November 2015, Amazon was blasted by everyone from anti-racism campaigners to Mayor Bill de Blasio, who described the promo as “irresponsible and offensive”. To its credit, Amazon quickly pulled the ill-judged campaign in response to the protests.

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Like Amazon, Zara didn't set out to offend when it featured this striped children's pyjama top on its website in 2014, but customers was quick to point out how closely the garment resembled the uniform worn by concentration camp prisoners in the Second World War. Despite stating the design was based on a US sheriff's outfit, Zara apologised for any offence caused and removed the PJs from the site.

The concentration camp PJs upset is all the more surprising given Zara was caught selling bags embroidered with swastikas back in 2007. The bags were manufactured by a supplier in India, where the swastika is an ancient symbol of luck – the Nazis stole and subverted it. Nonetheless, the Spanish retailer pulled the line after a barrage of customer complaints.

A favourite of 1990s kids, General Mills' French Toast Crunch was quietly discontinued in 2006, but fans of the nostalgic US breakfast staple just wouldn't shut up about how much they adored it, taking to Twitter and other social media platforms to lobby for the product's return. Eventually, the company gave in to their sole demand, resurrecting the cereal in 2014.

Online retailer Revolve was called out for fat-shaming in September after this sweatshirt bearing the slogan “Being fat is not beautiful it's an excuse” appeared on its website. But all was not what it seemed. The top turned out to be part of a anti-troll campaign featuring slogans used by online bullies. Yet the irony was lost on most people, and Revolve pulled the entire campaign within a day of it appearing online.

Having successfully resisted efforts to discontinue the brand in 2000, UK Salad Cream fans sprung into action again in June when Heinz announced it would be renaming the sauce Sandwich Cream. A tidal wave of complaints followed, with research showing 87% of customers were against the name change. Heinz bowed to the pressure and abandoned the rebrand in September.

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Staying with condiments, Canadian supermarket chain Loblaws drew the ire of legions of patriotic customers in March 2016 when it dropped the French's line of ketchup, which is produced in Ontario. Politicians even got involved – Liberal MPP Mike Colle wrote to the chain's bosses, demanding the sauce's return. Loblaws soon backed down and the product returned to the shelves in no time.

Nivea came a cropper in April 2017 after featuring a deodorant ad on its Facebook page with the slogan “White is Purity”, which many people deemed racist. Adding to Nivea's PR disaster, far-right internet users latched on to the ad and trolled the skincare multinational's social media accounts. In response, Nivea pulled the campaign and issued an apology, affirming its commitment to diversity.

Heineken found itself in a similar situation back in March. Critics including Chance The Rapper slammed the beer company for its “sometimes, lighter is better” slogan, accusing the firm of out and out racism, which Heineken strongly denied. It goes without saying that the offending ad, which was shown in Europe and the US, was promptly pulled.

The UK fashion house sparked a major backlash in July when it revealed $37 million (£29m) of unsold golds had been burned to protect the Burberry brand. Social media did not take kindly to the revelation, with many users expressing dismay at the label's wastefulness and disregard for the environment. As a result, Burberry vowed in September to stop torching its unwanted wares.

In 2015, American circus company Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey delighted animal-lovers by announcing it would phase out the use of elephants in its shows, citing a mood shift among customers. The elephant-free shows were short-lived however. Struggling with excessive costs and falling attendance figures, Ringling Bros. And Barnum & Bailey closed in May 2017 after 146 years in business.

Walmart got into hot water with conservatives this summer for allowing third-party retailers to sell "Impeach 45" T-shirts, onesies, and more on its website. Supporters of President Trump reacted with fury, and at one point, #BoycottWalmart was trending on Twitter. Walmart responded by removing the products from its site, but stopped short of issuing an apology.

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It's actually the second time in the space of a year that Walmart has angered customers by selling controversial merch. In December, the retailer was widely criticised for permitting a third-party seller to list a T-shirt emblazoned with the words “Rope. Tree. Journalist.” The top was promptly removed for violating Walmart's policies.

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Aficionados of Pimm's No. 6, the vodka version of the quintessential British summer tipple, virtually got down on their hands and knees in 2014 to beg Diageo to keep making the beverage when the drinks giant announced its demise. A campaign by the City of London Club ensued, and Diageo ended up reinstating the variant the following year.

In February, people power forced a number of big-name companies to sever ties with the NRA following the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in South Florida. They include Alamo, which had a partnership with the NRA to provide its members with car hire discounts.

Another company that has been lambasted for sexism, Cardiff bus operator New Adventure Travel attracted all the wrong sort of attention when it ran this questionable campaign in May 2015 featuring topless women holding “ride me all day for £3” signs. Though some male models were featured, social media users were appalled, and the ads were speedily removed.

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