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{{Short description|Advertising executive}}
⚫
'''Sergio Zyman''' (born July 30, 1945) is a Mexican [[marketing]] executive best known as the marketer behind the failed launch of [[New Coke]] now regarded as one of the greatest marketing blunders of all time. 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 in just 77 days.
{{Infobox person
|name = Sergio Zyman
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1945|07|30}}
|birth_place = [[Mexico City]], [[Mexico]]
|nationality = [American]
|education =
|occupation = [[Marketing|Marketer]]
|known_for = * Failed launch of [[New Coke]]
* Eradication of [[Crystal Pepsi]] and [[Tab Clear]]<ref>Denny, Stephen. ''Killing Giants: 10 Strategies to Topple the Goliath in Your Industry''. Portfolio Hardcover, 2011, p. 86-89.</ref>
* Founder of the Zyman Group
* Founder of the Zyman Foundation
|notable_works = ''The 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."
As per ''Fortune Magazine'''s 1995 cover story:
⚫
:" 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 one decade ago this April. Zyman's greatest error, which some attribute to ego, was that he and his team failed to present the option of keeping old Coke on the market."


==Early life and education==
⚫
Zymans 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1995/05/01/202473/index.htm |title=SO YOU FAIL. NOW BOUNCE BACK! - May 1, 1995 |publisher=Money.cnn.com |date=1995-05-01 |accessdate=2010-06-02 | first=Patricia | last=Sellers}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.forbes.com/2004/10/20/1020chat_transcript.html |title=Q&A: Sergio Zyman |publisher=Forbes.com |date= 2004-10-20|accessdate=2010-06-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/779537721.html?dids=779537721:779537721&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+16%2C+2005&author=Christopher+Hutsul&pub=Toronto+Star&desc=Exactly+what+was+this+man+thinking%3F%3B+New+Coke+tanked%2C+and+Sergio+Zyman+knows+why&pqatl=google |title=Exactly what was this man thinking?; New Coke tanked, and Sergio Zyman knows why |publisher=Pqasb.pqarchiver.com |date= 2005-01-16|accessdate=2010-06-02 | first=Christopher | last=Hutsul}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/32668610.html?dids=32668610:32668610&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+06%2C+1998&author=GREG+JOHNSON&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=ADVERTISING+%26+MARKETING%3B+Former+Coca-Cola+Exec+Joins+Launch+Media%27s+Board&pqatl=google |title=ADVERTISING & MARKETING; Former Coca-Cola Exec Joins Launch Media's Board |publisher=Pqasb.pqarchiver.com |date=1998-08-06 |accessdate=2010-06-02 | first=Greg | last=Johnson}}</ref>
⚫
Zyman was born to a [[Jews in Mexico|Mexican Jewish]] family in [[Mexico City]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/ten-things-sergio-zyman/240809/|title=Ten Things You Should Know About Sergio Zyman|author=Natalie Zmuda|date=Apr 10, 2013|magazine=[[Advertising Age|Ad Age]]|quote=Mr. Zyman is of Mexican Jewish heritage and was born in Mexico City.}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bigspeak.com/sergio-zyman.html |title=Sergio Zyman: Coca Cola CMO |publisher=Bigspeak.com |date= |accessdate=2010-06-02}}</ref>


==Career==
⚫
Since leaving the Coca-Cola Company Zyman launched a consulting firm called the Zyman Group that he sold<ref>{{cite news|url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB111239734276795869.html?mod=googlewsj |title=MDC Takes Majority Stake In Sergio Zyman's Firm - WSJ.com |publisher=Online.wsj.com |date=2005-04-01 |accessdate=2010-06-02 | first=Suzanne | last=Vranica}}</ref> 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]] and the Sawyer/Miller Group and is no longer part of the Zyman Group's management team - though he is listed as the founder of the company on its website. He has written four books to date on his experiences in marketing and advertising the last one Renovate before you Innovate written with Armin Brott was published in 2004. Zyman is currently a paid professional [[public speaker]], and can be booked. He can be seen in this role on Youtube.com as a paid speaker at the Kitchen Bath Industry Show (KBIS) held between April 14–18, 2010 in Chicago.
⚫
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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1995/05/01/202473/index.htm |title=SO YOU FAIL. NOW BOUNCE BACK! - May 1, 1995 |publisher=Money.cnn.com |date=1995-05-01 |accessdate=2010-06-02 | first=Patricia | last=Sellers}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/2004/10/20/1020chat_transcript.html |title=Q&A: Sergio Zyman |work=Forbes.com |date= 2004-10-20|accessdate=2010-06-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/779537721.html?dids=779537721:779537721&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+16%2C+2005&author=Christopher+Hutsul&pub=Toronto+Star&desc=Exactly+what+was+this+man+thinking%3F%3B+New+Coke+tanked%2C+and+Sergio+Zyman+knows+why&pqatl=google |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604050047/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/779537721.html?dids=779537721:779537721&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+16,+2005&author=Christopher+Hutsul&pub=Toronto+Star&desc=Exactly+what+was+this+man+thinking%3F%3B+New+Coke+tanked,+and+Sergio+Zyman+knows+why&pqatl=google |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 4, 2011 |title=Exactly what was this man thinking?; New Coke tanked, and Sergio Zyman knows why |publisher=Pqasb.pqarchiver.com |date= 2005-01-16|accessdate=2010-06-02 | first=Christopher | last=Hutsul}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/32668610.html?dids=32668610:32668610&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+06%2C+1998&author=GREG+JOHNSON&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=ADVERTISING+%26+MARKETING%3B+Former+Coca-Cola+Exec+Joins+Launch+Media%27s+Board&pqatl=google |title=ADVERTISING & MARKETING; Former Coca-Cola Exec Joins Launch Media's Board |publisher=Pqasb.pqarchiver.com |date=1998-08-06 |accessdate=2010-06-02 | first=Greg | last=Johnson}}{{dead link|date=July 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>


⚫
After leaving the Coca-Cola Company, Zyman launched a [[consulting]] firm called the Zyman Group, which he sold<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB111239734276795869?mod=googlewsj |title=MDC Takes Majority Stake In Sergio Zyman's Firm - WSJ.com |publisher=Online.wsj.com |date=2005-04-01 |accessdate=2010-06-02 | first=Suzanne | last=Vranica}}</ref> 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.<ref>[http://www.usell.com/about.htm#Team Team]</ref> He then worked with [[JC Penney]] as a Marketing Consultant but left after the failed re-positioning of the chain.<ref>[[Bloomberg News]]. [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-09/ackman-calls-for-ouster-of-j-c-penney-chairman.html Ackman calls for ouster of JC Penney chairman]</ref>
Sergio Zyman is now a Board of Director of Upstream Worldwide parent company of Usell.com


===New Coke===
⚫
Sergio Zyman is of Mexican Jewish heritage and is originally a native of [[Mexico City]]. 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bigspeak.com/sergio-zyman.html |title=Sergio Zyman: Coca Cola CMO |publisher=Bigspeak.com |date= |accessdate=2010-06-02}}</ref>
⚫
A cover story in [[Fortune Magazine]] from May 1, 1995 referred to [[New Coke]] as the biggest marketing blunder since the launch of [[Ford Motor Company|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:
⚫
<blockquote>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.</blockquote>

==Published works==
Zyman has written four books on marketing and advertising, including:
*''The End of Advertising as We Know It'' with Armin Brott. John Wiley & Sons, 2002
*''The End of Marketing as We Know It''


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME = Zyman, Sergio
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = advertising executive
| DATE OF BIRTH =
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
⚫
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zyman, Sergio}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zyman, Sergio}}
[[Category:1945 births]]
[[Category:1945 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Advertising people]]
[[Category:Advertising people]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Mexico City]]
[[Category:Mexican Jews]]
[[Category:Coca-Cola people]]
[[Category:PepsiCo people]]

Latest revision as of 07:31, 28 July 2024

Sergio Zyman
Born (1945-07-30) July 30, 1945 (age 79)
Mexico City, Mexico
Nationality[American]
OccupationMarketer
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."

Early life and education

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

  • The End of Advertising as We Know It with Armin Brott. John Wiley & Sons, 2002
  • The End of Marketing as We Know It

References

[edit]
  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. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. 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.[dead link‍]
  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
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