It was a classic David vs. Goliath battle, fought at grocery dairy cases across America. Two little-known companies, Chobani and Fage, introduced U.S. consumers to Greek yogurt, creating the trend from scratch and riding it to massive sales gains. All the while, big boys Dannon Co. and General Mills' Yoplait sat idly by as their yogurt dominance eroded.
The knock-out blow came earlier this year when Chobani — founded by a Turkish immigrant and run by marketers with no big corporate experience — became the No. 1 selling brand in all of yogurt, where it still sits with more than a 10% share, according to SymphonyIRI Group. Now Dannon and Yoplait are fighting back. Both have launched their own Greek versions backed by aggressive marketing, setting up round two in this closely watched grocery battle.
One of the key players in the battle is Sergio Fuster, the newly installed senior VP-marketing for Dannon, the U.S. subsidiary of French dairy giant Danone. Mr. Fuster, 36, who grew up in a small town in Spain, took over Dannon marketing in August after running marketing for Danone in Mexico. His resume is impressive, with stints at Procter & Gamble and Kraft Foods. But his new challenge is a big one: returning the Dannon brand to No. 1, even as Chobani builds on its grass-roots success with more aggressive marketing.
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