Wrangler chief quits mid-review
Wrangler Europe marketing director Juan Munoz is leaving the company in the middle of a 16m advertising review.
Munoz says he is returning to North Carolina, but has no job to go to. He says his decision to leave should not affect the pitch for the pan-European advertising account, which is scheduled to start at the end of this month (MW August 30).
He now says the decision on which agency to appoint will be taken without him. His replacement has not yet been found.
Munoz joined the European office in 1993 as merchandising director from the company’s US headquarters in North Carolina. He took over as head of the European marketing operation when marketing director Bob Coppage was appointed president of Wrangler Europe early last year.
In the past year he has been responsible for two major advertising reviews. In January, Wrangler ditched its media incumbent, Eurospace Paris – a joint venture between TBWA network and Carat – and awarded its media account to CIA Medianetwork after a two-way pitch.
Last month, Munoz decided to review the advertising account, currently with TBWA. TBWA, Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO, Lowe Howard-Spink, GGT, and Duckworth Finn Grubb Waters, are pitching for the business, which is expected to be awarded next month.
In the UK, Wrangler has an 8.2 per cent volume share of the jeans market, according to Nielsen figures for the year ended May 1996. Levi’s is market leader with a 25 per cent volume share.
