• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, October 13, 2006

Chuck Fruit, one of the most powerful buyers of media on the client side, has jumped to the sales side of the business. Fruit, a long-time in-house media executive at Coca-Cola Co. and Anheuser-Busch, has joined Discovery Communications as a consultant.

Atlanta-based Fruit, who is former CMO of Coca-Cola and was president of the Media Group at Anheuser-Busch, will advise Discovery's ad sales operations and will work to increase the profile of its Atlanta sales office.

Fruit will work with the group headed by Joe Abruzzese, president, advertising sales, Discovery Networks U.S., who joined Discovery from president of advertising sales at CBS four years ago.

"Chuck is one of the leading minds in the industry and we're fortunate to be on a short list of clients to which he is devoting his expertise," said Abruzzese. "His collaboration and insight will further expand our capabilities and help us deliver on the promise to our advertisers for new and innovative solutions and partnerships."

Fruit spent 15 years at Coke following 15 years at Busch. He is the latest in a succession of former Coca-Cola marketing gurus to form their own consultancies. Others have included Peter Sealey and Sergio Zyman.