I promised I would let everyone know what happened re my chastising Coca-Cola for their releasing John Rosales from his job of 28 years in my blog last Thursday, “Things Do Not Go Better With Coke.”
On Friday, I received an e-mail from Sonya Soutus, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications of Coca-Cola North America. The fact that I got a response so quickly proves the power of the Internet. They ignored me when I mailed letters, but once I got people posting on Facebook and Twitter about how upset they were, Coke knew they had to act quickly! I have copied the letter below.
I am not pleased with the tone of the letter and would like to continue my tirade, but John wants to “take the high road” and let the matter drop. He is grateful for everyone’s support and is appreciative that we all tried so hard to save him.
I especially want to thank Scott in Florida. Somehow he stumbled onto my blog and was outraged by what Coke had done. I don’t personally know him and neither does John, but he was as upset about John as if he were a life-long friend.
I really love the flavor of Diet Coke, but am now willing to make another beverage choice. I can’t continue to give money to a company who is so heartless. Test tasting will begin next week and results will be posted when I have made my choice. Please vote on the survey on the blog because I am open to suggestions.
LETTER FROM COCA-COLA
Sonya Soutus
Senior Vice President
Public Affairs and Communications
VIA EMAIL
January 14, 2010
TO: Ms. Kathy Posner
Dear Ms. Posner:
Thank you for your recent correspondence to Steve Cahillane, related to employee John Rosales. First, please let me apologize for the delay in our response. As you may be aware, The Coca-Cola Company recently purchased Coca-Cola Enterprises' North American operations. The new company is named Coca-Cola Refreshments USA, Inc. (CCR) and as in any large integration and transition of this kind, sometimes correspondence may get lost in the shuffle of moving offices and switching email addresses. Unfortunately, I believe that was the situation with your original letter to our organization. We do pride ourselves on being responsive to our consumers and again, I want to say how sorry we are for not following up on your original inquiry.
In light of recent business performance in North America, changes in our business model and organizational structures became necessary. The new organization is designed to enable us to better focus on the marketplace and to operate as an aligned organization. Changes were made to both organizations to accomplish these goals.
While we cannot divulge confidential information about individual employees, I can assure you that all decisions were made based on the needs of the new organization and in full compliance with the letter and the spirit of our obligations under all applicable laws and regulations and in concert with our commitment to maintain a workforce as diverse as the communities we serve.
In addition, where it will be necessary for an employee to leave our organization, each affected employee will be provided with a severance package. Throughout the integration process both pre-merger Companies were fully transparent about their plans and each employee has been and will continue to be treated with dignity and respect. In addition, many employees whose positions have been eliminated have been given the opportunity to apply for other available positions within the company.
The Coca-Cola Company remains committed to involvement in all of the communities we serve. In Chicago, and throughout the Midwest, we have been proud to partner with many diverse community-based organizations and look forward to continuing our role in partnering with community leaders to make a difference in the lives of those we all serve.
Again, thank you for reaching out to us and expressing your concerns. Kevin Morris, in charge of Public Affairs and Communications in Chicago, would be happy to meet with you if you would like to discuss this further. Kevin can be reached at (847) 600-2495 or via email at kevmorris@coca-cola.com
Respectfully,
Sonya Soutus
Sr. Vice President, Public Affairs and Communications
Coca-Cola North America
Try Diet Dr. Pepper
ReplyDeleteRon writes:
ReplyDelete"I know her background is journalism but the letter sounds like it was written by a lawyer looking to protect the clients rearend.
My suggestion is you try scotch."
Jenny B writes:
ReplyDelete"Ice tea is always a good healthy option. I can help you test try iced tea."
Seagram's Diet Ginger Ale. And by the way, I gave up Diet Coke and have lost 5 lbs. : ) so far...
ReplyDeleteScott writes:
ReplyDelete"I voted for iced tea Kat, I think you should avoid ANY brand names unless the company makes it worth the while of all involved, our opinions and time is much to valuable and influental just for ANY drink.....plus it better taste damn good for that endorcement."
Sue writes:
ReplyDelete"IBC diet root beer...It's the best!!"
Esther writes:
ReplyDelete"The letter from Coke was a piece of obfuscating bullshit - if you don't mind
my saying so. All those "corporation" phrases mean nothing and explain little. Drink something else and let the world know you are doing it."
Try diet Shasta
ReplyDeleteSteve Schiff writes:
ReplyDelete"Substitute beer!"
Jessica writes:
ReplyDelete"Water is good!"
Scott G. writes:
ReplyDelete"This was the first birthday in decades that did NOT have a Coke theme...."
Sharon writes:
ReplyDelete"Hey Kathy! I did vote, but my real choice wasn't on there.....RC Cola!" "
Clark writes:
ReplyDelete"Do you like Dr. Pepper? "
I vote for water. It's all your body needs and zero calories. Kick that junk food habit altogether! Take back the night!
ReplyDeleteCindie writes:
ReplyDelete"Kathy, I too have always been in love with Diet Coke. I don't drink it every day, but it is the only pop I drink. Absolutely hate Diet Rite and am not a fan of Diet Pepsi. I drink a lot of iced tea, but sometimes you just need that fizz. I am anxious to find out what you start drinking, as I don't like to support companies that have policies I don't agree with."
Clark writes:
ReplyDelete"I voted for Diet Pepsi on the website, even though you don't like the taste as much, but it really bugs Coke people when they lose out to Pepsi. I don't think Diet Rite has any caffeine, which means you'd need a Red Bull chaser after every other one or so."
Kathy - I know John professionally as he was my contact at Coca-Cola for my company. Suffice to say when he told me he was accepting a package and leaving Coke, I was surprised. Then reading your blog courtesy of Crain's, I found that it may have happened differently. Not good! I wish him all the best, and I don't drink Diet Coke, although I used to - now I drink Coke Zero, and love it!
ReplyDeleteHi Kathy. Great article. Glad to see that you were able to coax a response out of them. I find the letter funny on a couple of points other than the obvious. One, I believe your original letter was sent to corporate hq. Therefore, her mentioning that the letter got lost in the transition makes no sense. Second, the statement that they take pride in their responsiveness to consumers. Funny, I was an avid Coke Classic drinker much like you were with Diet Coke. However, once I began educating myself on HFCS, I began writing to Coke about going back to real sugar. Nothing, nodda, zilch response. So, now I drink Pepsi Throwback and other small brewers of soda. Goose Island Root Beer is good - not sure if they make diet. There are other good brands out there ... just have to look.
ReplyDeleteKathy,
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the fact that your blog posts on Diet Coke resulted in coverage on Shia Kapos' blog for Crain's Chicago Business: http://bit.ly/gZfE8I
You wrote that you are "not pleased with the tone of the letter" that Sonya wrote to you. I'm very curious about what issue you have with the "tone" of her letter. How would you describe the tone of her letter, and what type of tone would you have preferred?
I have nothing but sympathy for John but if you put yourself in Sonya's shoes, as a Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Communication for a major corporation, how would you have responded (knowing that your letter, which represents the position of the major corporation, might be posted, facebooked, tweeted and blogged all over the place)?
You're a great champion for John's situation but we live in a world where in spite of tenure and producing outstanding results, people can be fired for being 5 minutes late, falling asleep in a meeting, or having a stain on their sweater. Not necessarily fair, but an unfortunate reality. I look forward to your thoughts and to continuing the dialogue.
The previous comment was from an ANONYMOUS person. Whey they identify themselves, I will be happy to have a dialogue as they asked.
ReplyDeleteWendy writes;
ReplyDelete"kathy...you really are rattling some chains over there.
I for one am disgusted about what happened to John...and
I am also disgusted by what happened to me.
Big companies have no loyalty....its ALL about
what goes into upper managements pockets and how they can get more.
Kathy,
ReplyDeleteI'm not in a position to identify myself as I work for a company where doing so could compromise my own reputation and the reputation of my clients. However, please be assured that through my work I am not affiliated with Coca Cola, or any major corporation. You can respond to my previous comments/questions if you would like, but if you don't that's understandable as well.
Dear Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteI understand why you cannot identify yourself and I respect that.
I was not the only person who wrote to Coke trying to protect John's job. I did not put in my blog that many Illinois State officials and legislators who worked with John all these years also wrote on his behalf to the President of Coke. None of their letters were responded to either. I did not want to embarrass them by giving their names. So when I said I did not like Sonya's "tone," I was referring to her saying that my two mailed letters had gotten lost. There were many more letters than just mine.
While I agree that employees can be fired for just being late, there is a backstory to John's being let go that I also chose not to share.
I have no preference in regards to Diet Coke vs. Diet Pepsi, but I do have a preference in terms of good customer service. I'm going to be popping the Diet Pepsi can, Kathy.
ReplyDeleteAlissa wtrites:
ReplyDelete"So, you've giving up the drink that gives you life? Wow! Does that mean the diet coke jeweled pin goes also?
I remember diet coke duty in the early days of the office. Along with trips to the Morgan Street Cafe (no longer there, of course) and the Fannie Mae outlet right near us (also gone). Perhaps the trite adage holds true: nothing can last forever. Thus too, your love for Diet Coke must end. I think giving up your favorite beverage of the last 20 some years in protest of the firing of a 20 some year well-respected veteran employee at your favorite beverage company is as good a reason as any.
Why should you remain loyal? Those of us that are loyal to companies, people and beliefs are "so yesterday". Join the trend! Maybe you should pick a new beverage every week. Or better yet, maybe you need a beverage sponsor. They should pay YOU for being such a good customer. Maybe your new favorite beverage company could donate to your favorite charity for each can consumed.
Better yet, this would be a great time to launch your own beverage. Slightly Snapple meets Diet Coke. If anyone could spin it, my bets are on you!
Best Wishes for the New Year! Hope you are well and enjoying a Jamba Juice or a Dunkin Donuts Coffee or a Diet Pepsi (my personal favorite)."
Thank You
ReplyDeleteYour blog is very informative
SEO Training Noida