Fritz-Kola Names Marcin Piaseczny as Its New Marketing Chief
TL;DR: German challenger drinks brand fritz-kola has ended a roughly year-long vacancy at the top of its marketing, hiring Bahlsen's Marcin Piaseczny as marketing director from Q1 2027 to drive its new brand strategy.
What happened
Hamburg-based fritz-kola has appointed Marcin Piaseczny as its new marketing director, starting in the first quarter of 2027. He joins from Bahlsen, where he was a global director working on brands including Leibniz, Krakuski and Rawbite, with earlier stints at Haribo and Ferrero.
Piaseczny succeeds Klaus Schmäing, whose short tenure ended roughly a year ago, leaving the role vacant. He arrives just after fritz-kola rolled out a new brand strategy built around a 'why not?' idea.
Marketing Minute's read: a challenger brand re-arms its marketing
A year-long gap at the top of marketing is a long time for a brand that competes on culture and attitude rather than distribution muscle. Filling it with a seasoned FMCG marketer from Bahlsen — and doing so right after a strategy relaunch — signals fritz-kola is serious about putting real firepower behind the new platform.
The pedigree matters. Haribo, Ferrero and Bahlsen are masters of building distinctive, emotionally-charged mass brands out of everyday products. Bringing that discipline into a challenger cola brand suggests fritz-kola wants to scale its cult appeal into something more systematically marketed without losing its edge.
What it signals for challenger brands
Challenger brands often run lean on marketing leadership, relying on founder instinct and a strong community. But there comes a point where scaling requires professional marketing craft — and the risk is losing the rebellious voice that made the brand in the first place.
The test for Piaseczny will be applying big-FMCG rigour without sanding off fritz-kola's attitude. Get that balance right and a cult brand becomes a durable one; get it wrong and it becomes just another cola. The hire is a bet that process and personality can coexist.
Quick FAQ
Who is fritz-kola's new marketing chief?
Marcin Piaseczny, joining from Bahlsen (where he was a global director on brands including Leibniz and Rawbite, with earlier roles at Haribo and Ferrero). He starts as marketing director in Q1 2027.
Why was the role open?
The position had been vacant for roughly a year following the departure of Klaus Schmäing after a short tenure. Piaseczny's arrival coincides with fritz-kola's new 'why not?' brand strategy.
What's the significance?
It signals fritz-kola is putting experienced FMCG marketing firepower behind a strategy relaunch — the moment a cult challenger brand tries to scale without losing its rebellious voice.
A year-long gap at the top of marketing is a lifetime for a brand that runs on culture, not distribution. Hiring a Bahlsen veteran right after a strategy relaunch says fritz-kola wants real firepower behind the idea. The trick will be adding FMCG rigour without sanding off the attitude. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
The takeaway: scaling a challenger brand demands professional marketing craft — but the win is adding rigour without losing the rebellious voice that built the brand.
When a cult brand professionalises its marketing, how do you keep the edge that made people love it?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Meedia, Horizont.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
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