Sergio Zyman

Last updated
Sergio Zyman
Born (1945-07-30) July 30, 1945 (age 78)
Nationality[American]
Occupation Marketer
Known for
Notable workThe End of Marketing as We Know It (2002)

Sergio Zyman (born July 30, 1945) is a marketing executive from Mexico best known as the marketer behind the failed launch of New Coke and the success of Diet Coke, Fruitopia, Surge, and ad campaigns such as "Coke Is It."

Contents

Early life and education

Zyman was born to a Mexican Jewish family in Mexico City. [2] He attended executive programs at Harvard University and graduate schools in London, Paris and Jerusalem though his professional resume does not list a graduate degree or MBA. [3]

Career

Zyman's work experience includes tenures with Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Procter & Gamble, and his own firm Zyman Group. He is also known for helping introduce Diet Coke in 1982 and conceiving Fruitopia in 1994. [4] [5] [6] [7]

After leaving the Coca-Cola Company, Zyman launched a consulting firm called the Zyman Group, which he sold [8] to MDC Partners Inc., a Canadian advertising firm holding company, for around $60 million in April 2005. He was replaced there as Chairman by Scott Miller, formerly with McCann Erickson. The Zyman Group is no longer in business. Zyman later served as a director of Upstream Worldwide, the parent company of uSell.com, but he has been replaced there and is no longer on the Executive Team. [9] He then worked with JC Penney as a Marketing Consultant but left after the failed re-positioning of the chain. [10]

New Coke

A cover story in Fortune Magazine from May 1, 1995 referred to New Coke as the biggest marketing blunder since the launch of Ford's Edsel. New Coke was a reformulation of the original Coca-Cola flavor. After significant consumer opposition, the original flavor was reintroduced after 77 days. Fortune Magazine reported:

Zyman, then head of U.S. marketing, was coming off his enormously successful introduction of Diet Coke when he was assigned day-to-day responsibility for top-secret Project Kansas in 1984. The zealous Mexican insisted that Coca-Cola (or Co-Coola, as he pronounces it) must act boldly to reverse its 20-year market-share decline vs. Pepsi. Zyman, a former Pepsi marketer, argued that the correct strategy was to replace 98-year-old Coke with a better-tasting cola, label it New Coke," and blare the news--which is exactly what the company did. Zyman's greatest error was that he and his team failed to present the option of keeping old Coke on the market.

Published works

Zyman has written four books on marketing and advertising, including:

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cola</span> Carbonated soft drink

Cola is a carbonated soft drink flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, citrus oils, and other flavorings. Cola became popular worldwide after the American pharmacist John Stith Pemberton invented Coca-Cola, a trademarked brand, in 1886, which was imitated by other manufacturers. Most colas originally contained caffeine from the kola nut, leading to the drink's name, though other sources of caffeine are generally used in modern formulations. The Pemberton cola drink also contained a coca plant extract. His non-alcoholic recipe was inspired by the coca wine of pharmacist Angelo Mariani, created in 1863.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pepsi</span> Soft drink by PepsiCo

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">RC Cola</span> Cola-flavored soft drink

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Coke</span> 1985 reformulation of Coca-Cola

New Coke was the unofficial name of a reformulation of the soft drink Coca-Cola, introduced by The Coca-Cola Company in April, 1985. It was renamed Coke II in 1990, and discontinued in July 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cola wars</span> Soft drink marketing rivalry

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References

  1. Denny, Stephen. Killing Giants: 10 Strategies to Topple the Goliath in Your Industry. Portfolio Hardcover, 2011, p. 86-89.
  2. Natalie Zmuda (Apr 10, 2013). "Ten Things You Should Know About Sergio Zyman". Ad Age . Mr. Zyman is of Mexican Jewish heritage and was born in Mexico City.
  3. "Sergio Zyman: Coca Cola CMO". Bigspeak.com. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  4. Sellers, Patricia (1995-05-01). "SO YOU FAIL. NOW BOUNCE BACK! - May 1, 1995". Money.cnn.com. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  5. "Q&A: Sergio Zyman". Forbes.com. 2004-10-20. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  6. Hutsul, Christopher (2005-01-16). "Exactly what was this man thinking?; New Coke tanked, and Sergio Zyman knows why". Pqasb.pqarchiver.com. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  7. Johnson, Greg (1998-08-06). "ADVERTISING & MARKETING; Former Coca-Cola Exec Joins Launch Media's Board". Pqasb.pqarchiver.com. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  8. Vranica, Suzanne (2005-04-01). "MDC Takes Majority Stake In Sergio Zyman's Firm - WSJ.com". Online.wsj.com. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  9. Team
  10. Bloomberg News. Ackman calls for ouster of JC Penney chairman