Created by the Howdy Corporation in St. Louis, MO, 7UP was an optimistic venture from the very start. After great success with the Howdy Orange drink, company founder C.L. Grigg decided to try his luck with lemons and limes. C.L. Grigg spent more than two years testing over 11 different formulas, all in search of a drink that was refreshing enough to prove irresistible to the people of Missouri and the world at large. In 1929, C.L. Grigg’s bubbliest drink was born. The public quickly developed a taste for Grigg’s caramel colored lemon-lime soda. Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda sold, and sold well. As the drink grew more and more popular, the original name was traded in for something short and sweet. Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda became known as 7UP. Early advertising featured a winged 7UP logo with copy that read “a glorified drink in bottles only. Seven natural flavors blended into a savory, flavory drink with a real wallop.” The drink was so successful by 1936 that Grigg changed the name of The Howdy Corporation to The Seven-Up Company. By the late 1940s, 7UP had become the third best-selling soft drink in the world. In the decades to follow, 7UP developed iconic branding, setting it apart from industry front-runners. In 1967, 7UP brought the phrase UNCOLA into the national vernacular. The UNCOLA campaign set 7UP apart from its competition and became part of a counter cultural that symbolized being true to yourself and challenging the status quo. Always at the frontier of taste and pop culture, 7UP was also among the first sodas to introduce sugar-free and caffeine free options. Through the years, advertising for 7UP featured everything from a cartoon mascot named Spot, to the “It’s an Up thing” and “Make 7UP yours” taglines.
Responsibilities
Develop and implement a comprehensive modern trade activation strategy aligned with marketing, brand, and key account plans, identifying opportunities based on shopper insights and trends.
Create innovative activation concepts with clear objectives, KPIs, and budgets to drive trial, awareness, and sales, ensuring optimal ROI.
Lead end-to-end execution of modern trade activations, managing planning, approvals, logistics, and in-store implementation to ensure high quality and timeliness.
Collaborate with the Key Account team to secure customer buy-in for activation plans and oversee the development and deployment of impactful POSM and shopper engagement activities, ensuring brand adherence.
Cultivate strong, collaborative relationships with marketing, key accounts, and modern trade customers (buyers, category managers, store operations).
Manage the modern trade activation budget, ensuring efficient resource utilization, tracking expenses, providing regular updates, and ensuring proper documentation and reconciliation of all expenditures.
Collaborate with marketing for brand campaign integration, trade marketing for channel materials, and supply chain for product availability in modern trade activations.
Requirements
B.Sc Degree / HND in any related course.
4 years experience in trade marketing, shopper marketing, or key account management within the FMCG industry, with a significant focus on the modern trade channel in Nigeria.
Problem solving and analytical skills.
Communication and interpersonal skills.
Results orientation and execution.