The Marketing Profile: Toby Baker of The Wrigley Company

Later that day, the deal was confirmed amid much comment on how it would transform the confectionery landscape. As part of The Wrigley Company's UK leadership team, Baker was at the heart of the action, briefing employees, from its factory floors to executives' offices, on the historic plan. 'It's a good marriage of two companies with similar values. It's got exciting potential,' he says. 'What we have now is a great strategic intention and we have to work on the detail.'

Baker says he is looking forward to the opportunities that the acquisition will bring; according to some reports, Mars' sugar confectionery brands, including Skittles and Starburst, will be handled by Wrigley. However, he admits that it is early days and it could take up to a year for the two businesses to become fully integrated. So, in the meantime, he is focused on what he describes as Wrigley's 'power brands', namely Extra, Airwaves and Orbit.

Before taking on the top marketing role at Wrigley in 2005, Baker was a brand manager on Extra and put together a five-year plan intended to make it part of people's everyday lives. 'Moving into the marketing director role means I've been able to keep a close eye on how that is going,' he says.

His interest in the brand, which he says is 'the engine of our business', is understandable. The scale of Extra, the number-one sugar confectionery brand in the UK by a significant margin, is impressive; consumers snapped up 600m individual packs in 2007 and it is worth £185m with only Cadbury Dairy Milk and Galaxy notching up more sales. 'It's ubiquitous,' he says. 'You won't not find it in any store.'

This week, Baker will be attempting to add more personality to the brand with the launch of a TV campaign that puts a fresh slant on its breath-freshening positioning by emphasising its links with social connections. He explains that the big campaign idea is what he was seeking to enable the brand's communications to move on to the next level.

It is impossible to assess Wrigley's fortunes without taking into account the arrival of Cadbury's Trident brand. Despite a rocky launch, tainted by accusations that its ad campaign was racist, its positioning, based on the fun of chewing gum, has resonated with consumers and brought incremental growth to the market as a whole, of which Trident has an 11% share. Wrigley had had the field to itself for so long that the newcomer's entrance has effected a marked shift in the balance of power. However, Baker says the competition is 'invigorating'. 'We welcomed the launch of Trident, it has been brilliant,' he insists.

Although Extra reported stellar results during 2007 in the year to October, Airwaves and Orbit both recorded sales drops, of 9.2% and 10.2% respectively, according to Nielsen.

Nonetheless, Baker claims that the relaunch of Orbit last year, which included the recruitment of former popstar Louise Redknapp as its brand ambassador, has returned the brand to growth, while Airwaves is holding its share.

Baker, 35, comes across as fairly serious, but actually he is something of a showman. An accomplished musician, he plays the trumpet and guitar. He has been called upon to play the Wedding March on the former at his friends' nuptials and is not averse to whipping out the latter at parties. His next musical ambition is to master the piano, but adds that finding the time is a problem.

With the merger needing time to bed in over the coming months, and faced with the task of keeping his brands performing while fending off competition, it could be some time yet before Baker is tinkling those ivories.

Career history:

1996-2001 Territory business manager, rising to senior brand manager, Smithkline Beecham

2001-present Marketing manager, rising to marketing director, The Wrigley Company