Walter Dunn, described by friends and colleagues at the Coca-Cola Co. as a "keeper of the flame," died Monday morning.
In four decades with Coca-Cola or one of its major bottlers, Dunn, 86, helped ensure that Coke was seen as something special, not just another beverage.
He spent much of his time as head of prestige accounts, leading the company's marketing efforts at public venues. If you saw a Coke logo in a stadium, arena, theme park or movie theater, Dunn likely was responsible.
"Walter Dunn basically pioneered sports marketing," said Peter Ueberroth, a Coca-Cola board member, former Major League Baseball Commissioner and chief organizer of the Los Angeles Olympics.
"He understood the value of naming rights," Ueberroth said. "He understood the value of associating the Coca-Cola Co. with youth and sports fans around the world."
Dunn died of cancer about 4 a.m. at his metro Atlanta home . After drinking nothing all day, he had a Diet Coke, smiled, went to sleep and passed away, said his son, Jeff Dunn. A tribute to his life will be held at Fernbank Natural History Museum on July 13 at 6 p.m.
A native of Los Angeles and a University of Southern California graduate, Dunn served in the U.S. Army during World War II and was stationed in Burma.
He formed his own coffee company, Dunn & Cain Coffee, in 1957. He then worked for Huggins Young Coffee, which was acquired by Duncan Foods. Duncan, later acquired by Coca-Cola, connected him to Don Keough, a Duncan executive who would eventually become president of Coca-Cola.
Dunn began working for Coca-Cola in the 1960s. He had various titles and roles, retiring in 2000 as special assistant to the chairman's office.
He is best-known, though, for overseeing Coke's prestige accounts at a time when sports and entertainment marketing was growing into a big business.
Dunn was given broad authority, often making deals by handshake that would give Coke marketing and pouring rights at major stadiums and entertainment venues around the world. He played a key role in building Coke's relationship with the Olympics.
He was dogged in making sure Coke dominated this market. At one point, rival Pepsi secured a marketing deal with Major League Baseball. Undeterred, Dunn hit every major league city, working out individual agreements. Pepsi had the league, but Coke won most of the stadiums.
Dunn was skeptical of attempts to measure the financial payoff of these marketing efforts. He followed a simple but powerful principle that Coke should be anywhere that people gathered for special events.
The brand's bond with the consumer was formed, he believed, when a father took a son to his first baseball game or when a family made their first trip to Disneyland.
Jeff Dunn followed his father to Coca-Cola. A former head of Coca-Cola North America, Dunn is now president and CEO of California-based Bolthouse Farms.
His father was right, Jeff said.
"It's not quantifiable," he said. "You can put all the measures you want on it, but how do you measure the relationship of a consumer to a brand? How do you measure specialness?"
In addition to Jeff, Walter Dunn is survived by his wife, Kay Davis Dunn, and sons, Michael Dunn and wife Lee, Christopher Dunn, Timothy Dunn, Patrick Dunn and wife Robin, and step-children Greg Davis and wife Shauna, and Vicki Davis Reich and husband Vince Reich. He also has 14 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
