How Diageo Leverages Licensing to Fuel Growth in an Ever-Changing Marketplace

The beer and spirits portfolio from Diageo speaks for itself, but how does it continue to grow no matter the retail environment?

License Global

October 22, 2020

Owning brands like Guinness, Baileys, Captain Morgan and more, Diageo is one of the world’s largest producers of beer and spirits. This has made Diageo a licensing giant, with a portfolio of globally recognized brands that have leveraged licensing to successfully extend into both food and lifestyle products.

Diageo’s licensing program effectively grows its brands’ presence, provides new brand experiences to consumers and supports the growth of core products. In this keynote, Declan Hassett, senior licensing manager, Diageo; Shane Grogan, senior licensing manager, Diageo; and Allison Ames, president and chief executive officer, Beanstalk, discuss how the Diageo brand leverages licensing to fuel growth in an everchanging marketplace.

“Twelve months ago, I would’ve never imagined bars, restaurants, global travel businesses would all close as they have done all around the world,” says Hassett. “So, this is probably the single biggest shift in consumers and how they consume alcohol that we’ve

ever seen.”

The biggest shift the company has seen in recent years, unsurprisingly, is due to COVID-19, with consumers beginning to consume alcoholic beverages exclusively at home. Diageo had to use those changes to their advantage in order to continue growth. Things like at-home cocktail mixing and baking taking flight allowed brands like Baileys to continue to flourish.

“Global trends right now are very much playing in our favor,” says Grogan. “We have such iconic and distinctive assets that we can use.”

To learn how Diageo utilizes these assets and where the brand is headed,

watch this complete session at FestivalofLicesning.com, and visit the Live Stage tab.