Why it takes more than two to Tango

I would like to draw your attention to last week’s news story “Tango chief Kay quits” (MW September 13).

You say that he was responsible for the success of Tango in the Nineties. This is incorrect. Although I am sure that he has done a lot of work on the brand, it was Tony Hillier’s idea back in September 1991 to employ HHCL & Partners and it was he who wrote the brief for the advertising agency.

From that brief they came up with “You know when you’ve been Tango’d”.

The packaging change was started in March 1991 and was launched onto the market by June 1992, sometime before Kay joined Britvic. Also, before 1992, Tango had grown at an average of 40 per cent per annum since its acquisition by Britvic in 1988. I do not believe that Tango has ever grown at a faster rate.

Lastly, the “no discounting” policy was put together in 1991 and was successful in ensuring Tango remained profitable for Britvic.

I am sure that Steve Kay and the current marketing manager, David Atter, have done a fantastic job for Tango but, please, spare a thought for the marketers who made the changes back in the early Nineties.

David Dean

Ex-senior brand manager –

Tango

London SW1

See News Analysis, page 22