Todd Putnam, the marketing executive at Coca-Cola from 1997-2000, has told the Washington Post that he regrets steps taken while at Coke and that he believes the company’s “share of stomach” campaign played a crucial role in the nation’s current obesity epidemic. The “share of stomach” campaign saw Coke measure its success not against other soda competitors, but against any and all beverages in the American diet.
As Putnam says, “It took me 10 years to figure out that I have a large karmic debt to pay for the number of Cokes I sold across this country.”
The comments come in light of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s recent announcement that the city will ban super-size sodas from the city’s restaurants, movie theaters, sports arenas, and bodegas.
