Coke in his veins, China in his sight

Many marketers might talk the talk, but Willy Arcilla, carbonated soft drinks director of marketing at Coca-Cola China, literally walks the walk. "I tell people, I drink two cans of Coke a day and I can still run five kilometres in half-and-hour," explains Arcilla. This admission by the Filipino who heads marketing of all Coke's CSD brands in the mainland may sound evangelical -- which is exactly the note that Arcilla is seeking to strike. As he points out, when he moved to Shanghai to join Coke from his role as chief operating officer of RFM Corporation in Manila, he needed to make sure he could believe in the iconic brand, one he grew up with. "There's always been an issue about soft drinks and health, so when I came to China I educated myself," says Arcilla. "I needed to know in my heart how much truth is there (in the allegation)." Accordingly, Arcilla gathered the R&D team and found that one can of Coke contains less than five per cent of a person's recommended daily allowance of calories. His faith in the brand renewed, he now makes a point of telling people that Coke can be part of a healthy, active lifestyle -- using his own as evidence. "I've always told my people, you cannot sell what you do not love, and you cannot love something you do not know," says Arcilla. And if a marketer 'loving' their brand is a cliché, then Arcilla's sincerity certainly appears unquestionable. After all, leaving the relative safety of a GM-level role at his home country's second largest food and beverage corporation was not a decision he took lightly. "I never wanted to leave RFM -- but there was enough Coke in my veins," he quips. "From a professional standpoint, not every marketer will be given the opportunity to take a legendary brand like Coca-Cola into the 21st century in China". Indeed, Arcilla's career prior to joining Coke reads as if it was scripted with the ultimate aim of joining the brand. After starting at Procter & Gamble Philippines, he spent six years as marketing manager at SC Johnson in Jakarta, a transition that required him to "go through a decompression chamber". "It was quite a shock, but at the same time a really great experience in terms of planting your seed in the ground," he notes. "We made sure every 'bullet' counted because you can't afford to waste resources." Arcilla followed this stint by joining San Miguel, where he eventually became global head of marketing in Manila. Interestingly, he sees many similarities between the Philippines and China. "In the Philippines, there is a very exuberant population," he says. "In China, optimism is a given -- people here know tomorrow will be a better day." Arcilla's fondness for China has translated into some strong results for Coke, the leading soft drink brand in the country. Still, he notes that there is much work to be done. Per capita consumption of the beverage per year is a paltry 12 servings. "In Hong Kong, the Philippines and Japan consumers drink 160 servings per year," says Arcilla. "A dream that I have for China is 'a Coke a day' for every consumer." If so, it is a dream that must remain deferred for now, given the myriad complexities that challenge Coke's progress there. Arcilla, though, appears positively enthused by the obstacles. "To deliver an ice-cold Coca-Cola within an arm's reach of desire, to do that for 1.3 billion Chinese requires a huge and complicated system," he states. "Daunting as it may seem, actually it is the thrill. We have 30 bottling facilities and 20,000 people -- if we can harness this awesome force to achieve our business goals, we can do anything."