Coca-Cola Marketing Veteran Teejae Sonza Reflects on 26-Year Career

Teejae Sonza, senior marketing director at The Coca-Cola Company for over 26 years, has reflected on her career and shared her approach to marketing in an exit interview. She emphasizes that creativity only matters when it meets consumer reality and drives business results.

Sonza's background in operations, working with sari-sari stores and wholesalers, gave her a practical understanding of the industry, which later influenced her marketing approach. She notes that 'marketing is practical in as much as it is magical.'

In her role, Sonza led the transformation of Coca-Cola's water business, nearly doubling portfolio profitability within a year by rationalizing SKUs and consolidating brand lines.

She stresses the importance of balancing timeless brand truths with cultural relevance and building businesses that can thrive beyond any one leader. Her approach is to make marketing useful, not just persuasive, and to embed service in the product, experience, and business model itself.