UPDATE (2) 8/13/06: THE PROBLEM WITH INDRA NOOYI
Christine Jones, Pepsi’s VP Consumer Relations uncorked a howler today. Which fits into the who you going to believe me or your own eyes category. Unfortunately the folks at Pepsi with their handling of Indian native and Pepsico COO Indra Nooyi case have done major damage to the once iconic American brand. Jones, responding to an American soldier’s displeasure with Nooyi’s lecture to a graduating class of Columbia MBA’s on her perception that America was giving the finger to the rest of the world, offered up the following:
PepsiCo is an American-born and raised enterprise – a company that has, for more than a century, done business with brand-names that speak "America" all over the world. Clearly PepsiCo does not now, nor have we ever, considered the U.S. as disrespectful towards the rest of world.
Well the point here Ms. Jones is that Pepsi’s COO did say that she felt America was disrespectful. An apology by Nooyi or Pepsi does not clean the stain. Which means Pepsi needs to do one of two things if they want to be real and righteous with their customers. Either they come out in full support of Nooyi and say hell yes we too think America is disrespectful or they can her ass. I got a feeling Ms. Jones may have written the We Support the Troops But Not The War bumper sticker too. Charmaine Yoest has her take and the Powerline guys have full transcripts of the dueling e-mails.
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