News Release
Continental Airlines V.P.-Marketing Named Among the Top Marketing 100
HOUSTON, July 14, 1998 -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAI.A and CAI.B) Vice President-Marketing Programs Richard Metzner has been named among the top Marketing 100 professionals in the country by Advertising Age magazine.
"The Marketing 100 salutes those visionaries who latch onto an idea, run with it and achieve their goal of greater sales and recognition," said the advertising trade publication.
Last year, Continental's advertising and direct marketing department, headed by Metzner, directed a successful campaign to convince New Yorkers to cross the Hudson River and fly out of the carrier's hub at Newark International Airport. The controversial campaign, created by N.W. Ayer & Partners, subsequently received nationwide attention.
"We are pleased that Richard has received this well-deserved recognition. It is a tribute to the entire marketing group, as well as all 40,000 Continental employees who have created a product which is easy to sell," said Bonnie Reitz, senior vice president marketing and sales.
"We discussed...the players who stand out for whatever reason. For Continental, it was more a situation of turning around its image...in a difficult marketplace," said Michael Wilke, reporter with Advertising Age.
In March, Continental launched a $50 million global campaign with the new tagline "Work Hard. Fly Right."