Every adman’s dream.
To be the guy on Coke, running one of the world’s largest and most visible advertising accounts.

But it had its challenges.
Coca-Cola was the crown jewel at McCann-Erickson.
McCann’s biggest, most important client.
A client the agency had worked on since 1956.

In 1989, Sergio Zyman was appointed as the Chief Marketing Officer for the Coca-Cola Company. Something of a visionary, he was highly critical of the global agency network system.

In 1991 he made the bold move of appointing Michael Ovitz and CAA in Los Angeles to harness top Hollywood creative talent behind Coke. McCann’s monopolstic grip on the business weakened. The pressure was on for McCann to perform.

I met Sergio whilst I was CEO of McCann Mexico.
Sergio was highly impressed with the work which was done under my leadership and offered me a position at the Coca-Cola Company.

John Dooner, President of McCann Worldwide countered.
So I moved from Mexico City to New York and became the guy on Coke.

My task was to manage McCann’s relationship with Coca-Cola in Atlanta and in close to 200 individual markets around the world.

When Bill Tragos, legendary adman and founder of TBWA hired me two years later he said to me, “Not even I can do that job”.