When Todd Kaplan left PepsiCo last
month, he ended a farewell message on LinkedIn with a cryptic “Stay tuned.” Mystery solved: He’ll be the new chief marketing officer at Kraft Heinz.
Kaplan will
help lead marketing for the $22 billion North American food and beverage portfolio. He reports to Pedro Navio, who was promoted to executive vice president and president of North America several
months ago. In its announcement, the company says Kaplan will help its brands grow “through elevated creativity, a deeper connection to culture, and building modern marketing capabilities that
can fuel Kraft Heinz’s next wave of growth.”
Kaplan spent nearly two decades at PepsiCo, starting his career there as an MBA intern. “I’ve been fortunate to be able to
cram the equivalent of 10 careers into one -- with all the experiences I’ve had and incredible people I’ve encountered along the way,” he wrote in last
month’s LinkedIn post.
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While at Pepsi, Kaplan helped re-energize the Pepsi brand. Kraft Heinz says he is “widely credited with bringing it back into cultural relevancy
– from reimagining the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show to developing disruptive new product innovations to creating some of the boldest, most talked about, and most globally awarded creative the
brand has ever seen.”
Kaplan is joining Kraft Heinz just as it is having a moment in the sun. It recently earned a record-breaking 22 Cannes Lions awards. That includes the
company’s first-ever Grand Prix for “It has to be Heinz.”
The company is navigating some bumpy roads, with sales falling 1.2% in the most recent quarter. However, industry
observers think the company’s brand strength and capabilities give it an edge over competitors. Marketing plays a significant role in that advantage.
The company is “focusing on
more effectively buoying marketing spending, targeting a 30% increase in marketing between fiscal 2020 and 2024 (including a 15% increase in fiscal 2023),” writes Erin Lash, an analyst who
follows Kraft Heinz for Morningstar. “We think that supports its brand mix and retail relationships.”