Coke Loses Marketing Executive To DDB
November 12 2015 - 3:02AM
Dow Jones News
(FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 11/12/15)
By Mike Esterl and Suzanne Vranica
Senior Coca-Cola Co. marketing executive Wendy Clark resigned
from the beverage giant to head advertising agency DDB Worldwide's
North American business.
The high-profile departure comes at a critical juncture for
Atlanta-based Coke, which is struggling to jump-start growth after
missing volume targets in each of the last two years because of
flagging soda consumption in the U.S. and elsewhere.
The maker of Coke, Sprite and Fanta plans to name a replacement
shortly for Ms. Clark, who has been North American marketing chief
since June 2014. The 44-year-old executive also helped steer global
marketing after joining Coke in 2008 from AT&T Inc.
New York-based DDB said Ms. Clark's appointment is effective in
January. Mark O'Brien, the current North American chief executive,
will assume a new role as executive vice president at DDB's parent
company, Omnicom Group.
Ms. Clark faces a tough assignment at DDB. Traditional creative
agencies like DDB are trying to keep up with the rise of digital
advertising as media and technology companies ramp up the services
they offer directly to marketers. DDB's clients include McDonald's
Corp. and State Farm.
Ms. Clark took a leave of absence in January to advise
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton but returned to
Coke in early April. Her successor faces a major challenge in
reversing the decline in sales of diet soda as more Americans avoid
artificial sweeteners because of health concerns.
Coke tried to keep Ms. Clark, but the company's time frame for
promotions was too slow, according to a person close to the
executive. Ms. Clark was eager to find a CEO role, according to
this person, who added Ms. Clark plans to split her time between
New York and Atlanta.
Although viewed as a rising star at Coke, Ms. Clark had no clear
path to becoming chief marketing officer soon after company veteran
Marcos de Quinto became CMO in January. Mr. Quinto replaced Joe
Tripodi, who had been a big supporter of Ms. Clark. Mr. Quinto is
expected to replace or tweak Coke's "Open Happiness" global
marketing campaign that was launched in 2009.
At the same time, Sandy Douglas, Coke's North American chief,
isn't expected to retire from the company for at least another two
years. Ms. Clark was considered a potential successor but Hendrik
Steckhan, the 53-year-old head of North American noncarbonated
beverages, is viewed internally by many as the most likely
candidate to replace Mr. Douglas.
DDB Worldwide CEO Chuck Brymer praised Ms. Clark on Wednesday as
a "game-changer" and "a magnet for talent." The North American
business is "in excellent health" thanks to Mr. O'Brien's efforts,
he added.
In an accompanying statement, Ms. Clark said it was a
"privilege" working at Coke and that she is "excited" to be joining
DDB.
In a memo to Coke employees, Mr. Douglas, Coke's North American
chief, praised Ms. Clark for helping the company expand in social
and digital media. He also credited her for helping with the global
rollout of the popular "Share a Coke" marketing campaign in recent
years and World Cup soccer advertising efforts last year.
Mr. Douglas added that Ms. Clark had built a "talented team and
a deep bench" of marketers in North America.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 12, 2015 02:47 ET (07:47 GMT)
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