'New' Royal Crown Cola thirsts for bigger ad presence By Michael McCarth

NEW YORK--Agencies looking to quench their thirst for a beverage account are already angling for a shot at Royal Crown Cola, according to so

The arrival last week of former Cadbury Beverages president John Carson as president/ceo and new ownership signal a willingness by RC to begin reasserting itself in marketing. Carson will likely call for an agency search in the next few months for an account which could grow to $8-10 million this year.
“We have been invisible for a long time so we need a bigger advertising presence,” said one RC official. “Officially, nothing has started yet. But we’re already being contacted by agencies that don’t have a conflict or who want a beverage account.”
RC’s current agency is Crispin & Porter Advertising/Coral Gables, Fla. Media buying is scattered among agencies contracted by various bottlers. The beverage lineup of the company, with sales of about $150 million, includes RC Cola, Diet Rite Cola and Nehi. It also launched Kick and Upper 10, which are similar to Mountain Dew and 7-Up.
Royal Crown was recently acquired by Trian Group, a New York based investment firm which bought a controlling interest in RC parent DWG Corp. DWG was controlled by financier Victor Posnet and the acquisition also gave Trian control over Royal Crown’s sister company, Arby’s Inc.
“Posner nearly ran this company into the ground and he was a big reason why we basically stopped advertising,” concluded the RC executive. “Now with a new ownership and a new president, we hope things will finally turn around.”
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