[media-credit name=’JEFF SCHORFHEIDE/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]An executive from The Coca Cola Company spoke at the University of Wisconsin Thursday, stressing that above all else, a company must be honest and credible in order to be successful.

Ben Deutsch, the director of corporate communications for Coke and a UW alumnus, said media outlets are crucial in corporate relations and he prides himself on being truthful and not putting spin on stories.

"Credibility is hard earned, easy to lose, harder to reclaim and the only thing that matters," Deutsche said. "I've always said the truth."

When he first joined The Coca Cola Company, Deutsch said higher executives at the company could not understand why being honest and transparent was his suggested method of public relations.

When asked how the executives took to his truthful approach to public relations, Deutsch said, "It took the old leadership to leave the company."

Deutsch, noting his position on a student newspaper during his time at UW, emphasized the growing impact that small media outlets have on both the local and national scale.

"Our most challenging and important interaction is with student newspapers on campuses," Deutsch said. "In one occasion, a story in the local student newspaper led to a national story."

Deutsch spoke about the challenges of dealing with newspapers and said The Wall Street Journal has several writers that focus solely on The Coca Cola Company, and each day one of the writers calls him looking for the next day's story.

Addressing the pressures of his job, Deutsch said one wrong word could cost a company large sums of money, especially a publicly traded company like Coke.

If investors do not like the sound of the public relations statement, the company loses money, Deutsch said.

"If you make a mistake at Coke, you can cost people millions of dollars. I said something one time, and the stock dropped three dollars in fifteen minutes," Deutsch said. "The [chief financial officer] made it down to my office quicker than he had in his entire life."

Deutsch commented on the bidding war Coke and Pepsi fought over for contracts that eventually allowed Coke machines in elementary and middle schools across the country.

A public uproar ensued over Coke machines in school hallways when studies showed strong links between soda and child obesity. Deutsch said he felt the machines in schools were not right, especially since schools make up less than 1 percent of sales.

"That was a mistake," Deutsch said. "We didn't know it at the time, but now we are voluntarily pulling certain products from schools."

Deutsch added that Coke is leaving its sports drink, water, and juice brands in schools, but pulling the sugar-filled drinks.

UW junior John Sinclair, who attended the lecture, said he appreciated that a public relations executive valued truthfulness.

"He was very honest about balancing what's best for the company and what's best for the public," Sinclair said.

UW senior Illana Klane said it was nice to see a high-ranking business official take time out of his schedule to share his insights with students.

"I like how he brought corporate elements into more tangible form for students," Klane said.