Feltenstein in charge at Burger King By Michael McCarthy and Philip Stelly Jr

NEW YORK--Burger King executive vp/brand strategy Sidney J. Feltenstein has emerged as the winner of an apparent power struggle which l

Feltenstein, a supporter of D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles and its current “BK TeeVee” campaign, has taken over the marketing and advertising duties wielded by Barry Conrad, BK president of franchisee sales and services for the Americas, according to sources. The duo have split up advertising and marketing responsibilities since Feltenstein arrived in 1991.
Separately, Burger King confirmed that the department that reported to Chris Carroll, vp/advertising & promotion, will now report to Feltenstein. Carroll, who used to report to Conrad, will likely be shifted to another position, said sources.
BK spokesperson Cori Zywotow described the changes as “internal tweaking” of the marketing department, but denied that there would be any changes in Carroll’s titles. “We’ve realigned his department to report to Feltenstein simply because it made more sense that advertising falls in the area of brand strategy,” she said.
DMB&B’s current “BK TeeVee” ad campaign is heading for major changes, according to sources, due to lagging sales and disgruntlement in the company’s 2,000-strong franchisee community.
The most recent CREST research for the quarter ended February show Burger King’s sales up just 1.4%, compared to 3.2% for the fast-food industry overall and 3.8% for the burger category. Competitors have also outpaced BK, with Hardee’s showing 13% growth for the quarter, Wendy’s 6.2% and lumbering McDonald’s at 3.5%.
Copyright Adweek L.P. (1993)