Sergio Zyman | He Put The Fizz Back in Coca-Cola's Fortunes

Sergio Zyman

He Put The Fizz Back in Coca-Cola's Fortunes

Fee Range
$30,000

Sergio Zyman
Biography

"Selling more stuff to more people more often for more money more efficiently " defines marketing success for Sergio Zyman, the man who put the fizz back in Coca-Cola's fortunes, founded a preeminent marketing strategy firm, and authored four books, including two international best-sellers. Oh, and he was named one of the Top Three marketing pitchmen of the 20th century by Time magazine. Not too bad for a guy who started out south of the border.

Sergio was born in Mexico City and began his career with management positions in Japan, Brazil, Guatemala and New York before moving to Atlanta to begin his first of two tenures with The Coca-Cola Company. His first residence was highlighted by a series of launches of revolutionary products such as Diet Coke, Cherry Coke and New Coke (yes, a product not well received by consumers at the time, but one that many believe simply was an idea far ahead of its time--a theory well supported by the numerous cola flavors and formulas that are popular today). Sergio departed The Coca-Cola Company in 1988 and formed Core Strategy Group, a consulting firm with a client roster that included 7-11, Miller Brewing Company and several other large companies. He was influential in the positioning and development of the strategy that resulted in the election of former Mexican President Vicente Fox.

Roberto Goizueta, former Chairman of Coca-Cola and a true believer in Sergio's forwardthinking, persuaded him to return to Coke in 1993 to hold the first Chief Marketing Officer position ever created in any company. Sergio re-conceptualized the company's marketing strategy and boosted worldwide annual sales from nine to 15 billion cases--the most explosive growth in the company's history. Upon Mr. Goizueta's death, Sergio departed The Coca-Cola Company and wrote a series of books, including the international best-seller The End of Marketing As We Know It.

In 1999, Sergio founded Zyman Group, an international marketing consulting firm. As the driving force behind Zyman Group, he was sought after by food and beverage companies, industrial manufacturers, popular retailers, and global communication powers around the world. This success led Inc. magazine to name Zyman Group one of the fastest growing consulting firms in the United States. In 2005, he sold majority ownership of Zyman Group to MDC Partners.

Sergio Zyman has been hailed as one of the most dynamic and charismatic speakers in the world. He energizes audiences with his entertaining and bold, unpredictable style. He speaks on non-traditional growth strategies, the role of marketing in corporations, the similarities between the political process and the marketing process, and all current and social events and the impact on consumer behavior.

Sergio holds an Executive MBA from Harvard University and attended graduate schools in London, Paris and Jerusalem. He was named Man of the Year in 1998 by the UJA. In 2008, he was bestowed a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Asociacion Nacional de la Publicidad. He is an avid skier, golfer, and runner. He is currently involved in major strategy projects, as well as politics, and is currently writing his fifth book.

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A Down Economy
The Lazy Marketers Lame Excuse

Customer confidence is in the tank; cost cutting is in vogue; geo-political uncertainties remain; non-traditional competitors are proliferating; unemployment is rising; housing and personal wealth are at generational lows; greater than $100 a barrel oil is here to stay….it’s no wonder consumers “are on the sidelines”. Are consumers really on the sidelines or do they just need better reasons to buy you? Sergio will detail how economic times like these are golden opportunities for strategic marketers. He will outline proven models/approaches that require marketers to change their mindset from “inside out” (selling what you make) to “outside in” (make what you can sell); from aspirational goal setting to aspirational planning; from capturing share to capturing potential; from being positioned by others to controlling the dialogue. And why it’s the restless and discontent that are the first to benefit.

Private Equity
It’s Not About “Managing the Business”

Changes in external factors are driving new challenges for the private equity industry, forcing it to move beyond transactional thinking and embrace transformational and value-creating investment opportunities. With deal flow on the decline and liquidity/credit challenges, there is a need to evolve the approach. Quite simply, PE firms must go beyond managing the business (operations, supply chain, efficiency) to running (driving acceptability, affordability and availability) and growing the business (creating demand and new sources of growth). Sergio will help audiences understand how, by focusing on the consumer and not only the financials, with transformational vs. transactional growth, PEs can improve the profitability of the portfolio of companies.

Accelerate Profitable Growth by Renovating Before You Innovate

Many companies rely too heavily on innovation to solve their problems. When a brand gets old or tired, the impulse is to scrap it and start over with something fresh. But more often than not, innovation simply doesn’t work. Sergio knows this firsthand – he was the chief marketing officer at The Coca-Cola Company during the disastrous launch of New Coke. So what’s the alternative? Sergio preaches the power of renovation - recapturing the essence of your existing brands, products, and core competencies and doing more of the things that made you great in the first place. Too many managers are so obsessed with innovation that they launch products that no one will buy. Premoistened toilet paper or smokeless cigarettes, anyone? Sergio delivers the solutions managers need to revitalize their strategies to improve growth, and he challenges conventional business wisdom to help companies make smarter, profitable decisions.

How Companies Can Meaningfully Market to Hispanics

Everyone knows that Hispanics make up a large, growing, and increasingly wealthy demographic, but very few companies are getting it right when trying to market to them. It’s not about sombreros, mariachi bands and Chihuahuas – or what is commonly known as Hispanic marketing. It’s about Marketing to Hispanics – a deeper and more meaningful way to reach this market which entails understanding Hispanics’ needs, motivations and purchase drivers, and then creating strategies and solutions that meet these needs. The companies that get it will benefit significantly. The ones that don’t will miss a tremendous opportunity. Sergio, a Mexico City native, will show audiences how to better understand this important market and provide best practices for successfully creating breakthrough strategies. He will provide strategic and executional guidance to successfully penetrate the Hispanic market to build true brand loyalty for long-term profitable growth.

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Sergio Zyman

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