COCA-COLA'S DAMAGE CONTROL: Coca-Cola Chair DOUG
IVESTER flew to Belgium over the weekend to meet with
company execs to discuss how Coca-Cola products "became
tainted, leading to scores of reports that people were
falling ill after consuming them." The Belgian gov't said
its ban on certain Coca-Cola drinks will continue until it
is "convinced of the company's explanations" on what went
wrong (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 6/20). In Atlanta, Henry Unger
wrote that the "longer the European health scare" goes on,
the "more damaging it can become" to the brand. Goldman
Sachs Beverage Analyst Marc Cohen called it a "PR disaster"
(ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 6/19). In N.Y., Constance Hays wrote
that Coca-Cola is "being criticized as slow to respond to a
crisis, one that increasingly appears to be born of panic
rather than reports of serious illness" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/20).
NAMES: Nuggets longtime trainer BOB TRAVAGLINI passed
away last Thursday night following a bout with pneumonia.
Travaglini was 66 (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 6/19)....Sales &
Marketing Execs of Minneapolis/St. Paul honored T'Wolves
Owner GLEN TAYLOR as its Sales Exec of the Year. Taylor is
also CEO of Taylor Corp. (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 6/20).
...76ers President PAT CROCE, who suffered multiple
fractures of the left leg after a motorcycle accident on
Thursday, "underwent surgery yesterday for the third time in
four days." He is "expected to remain in intensive care" at
Univ. of PA Hospital for "at least two days and is expected
to remain hospitalized for another week or two" (PHILA.
DAILY NEWS, 6/21)....In Charlotte, Pamela Moore profiles
Bank of America's sports finance division: "Through business
ties cultivated by NationsBank, the company is banker to one
in three major sports teams" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 6/21).
