CHICAGO'S KATHY POSNER TO GIVE UP COKE
Loyal Kathy Posner's Coke MachineI 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.
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
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
Read The Original Story On Coca Cola here.....
Editors Note: This is the way corporate America is going. They are getting rid of the talented employees and hiring young-cheap labor, who know nothing. The old timers have established relationships with their customers as well as the experience to relate to them. Look what happened when Snapple was taken over and the got rid of the famed Snapple Lady Wendy Kaufman. She was the backbone of their ads and to this day when I go out with her, people come running up to her and say, " Hey, You're the Snapple Lady". Recently some trade magazine ran a story on Wendy's Snapple ads, saying they were the most remembered ads ever. On a trip to Atlantic City last year, I met Wendy and her husband Steven at the Tropicana Casino for dinner. After a great meal at Red Square, we went to play the slots and endless fans recognized Wendy and insisted on posing for photos with Wendy The Snapple Lady. This is just one of the bad decisions cooperate America has made. I have since given up drinking Snapple and now I will give up Coke. As for Planet Posner looking for another drink, may I suggest a good Chardonnay?
Editors Note: This is the way corporate America is going. They are getting rid of the talented employees and hiring young-cheap labor, who know nothing. The old timers have established relationships with their customers as well as the experience to relate to them. Look what happened when Snapple was taken over and the got rid of the famed Snapple Lady Wendy Kaufman. She was the backbone of their ads and to this day when I go out with her, people come running up to her and say, " Hey, You're the Snapple Lady". Recently some trade magazine ran a story on Wendy's Snapple ads, saying they were the most remembered ads ever. On a trip to Atlantic City last year, I met Wendy and her husband Steven at the Tropicana Casino for dinner. After a great meal at Red Square, we went to play the slots and endless fans recognized Wendy and insisted on posing for photos with Wendy The Snapple Lady. This is just one of the bad decisions cooperate America has made. I have since given up drinking Snapple and now I will give up Coke. As for Planet Posner looking for another drink, may I suggest a good Chardonnay?
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