The Coca-Cola Co. has appointed Allison Lewis SVP of marketing for Coca-Cola North America. She will replace Beatriz Perez, who was named Coca-Cola’s chief sustainability officer on July 1.
Lewis will oversee the strategic marketing team in the areas of integrated marketing communications, asset management, digital capability, multicultural marketing, consumer and shopper insights, marketing productivity and capabilities designed to grow brand equity.
She will report both to Alexander Douglas Jr., president of Coca-Cola North America, and Joe Tripodi, EVP and chief marketing and commercial officer of the company, according to a corporate memo provided to Direct Marketing News. Lewis will be tasked with driving brand growth, local relevance and customer appeal, according to the memo.
Coca-Cola spent $2.9 billion on advertising last year, an increase of 4.5% compared with 2009. The company said in its 2010 Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it shifted ad spending “toward in-store activations, loyalty points programs and point-of-sale marketing.”
Lewis had served as SVP and general manager for Coca-Cola subsidiary Odwalla since January 2009. In that role, she oversaw about 800 employees across sales, direct store delivery operations, manufacturing, supply chain, marketing, research and development, finance and human resources.
Lewis has also served as SVP of commercial and franchise operations and head of integrated marketing during her 15 years at the company. Prior to Coca-Cola, she held various brand management positions for Kraft in Canada.
Coca-Cola did not immediately name a new SVP and general manager for Odwalla.
Coca-Cola declined additional comment beyond the information provided in the internal memo.
