Coke Taps Frenette to Head Europe
Coca-Cola, Atlanta, last week tapped chief marketing officer Charles Frenette to lead its European division and named Minute Maid president Stephen Jones to replace Frenette as top marketing exec.
Coke’s Greater Europe Group is still rebounding from a contamination scare in Belgium last year that left a bad taste in many consumers’ mouths and prompted ceo Douglas Ivester to apologize in print ads. Frenette is credited with helping smooth ruffled feathers in Belgium and overseeing a new marketing strategy breaking this spring.
The upcoming efforts employ a new tagline, “Enjoy,” and emphasize eight-ounce green glass bottles that will be widely reintroduced. Coke is expected to begin sampling the bottles at alls, theaters, schools, and sports arenas this month.
The appointments were announced last week by Ivester’s successor, Douglas Daft, named ceo in December to take over in April. Gaffes in Belgium continue as Coca-Cola Enterprises Belgium was forced to pull Operation Restore, a trade marketing campaign that gave restaurants, sports centers, and small retailers deep discounts to carry Coke products after the contamination recall. The president of the Commercial Court of Brussels ordered Coke to stop discounting, saying the company abused its dominant market position to muscle out competitors. The campaign began in September and ended Dec. 1.
Daft continued building his executive team later last month by naming Don Knauss to replace Jones at the helm of Minute Maid and placing Don Short in charge of Coke’s new Africa and Middle East Group.
