Diageo’s broad range of leading brands covers all major categories. It owns seven of the world’s top 20 brands, including Smirnoff, the number one brand by volume and Johnnie Walker, the number one brand by value and manages Jose Cuervo, making Diageo the leading premium spirits business in the world by volume, net sales and operating profit. In beer, Diageo owns one of the truly global beer brands, Guinness. Diageo’s wine brands are sold predominantly in North America and Great Britain. Diageo’s global brands are complemented by strong local brands to create category breadth. Diageo’s brands cover a range of price points, from Diageo’s reserve brands, including Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Cîroc and Ketel One vodka to more affordable brands, tailored for the growing number of emerging middle class consumers, such as VAT69 in India, White Horse in Russia and 20cl bottles of Johnnie Walker Red Label across Africa.
Diageo is a global company selling products in more than 180 markets around the world. In the developed markets, primarily, in North America and Europe, Diageo has built scale and strong routes to market. In the emerging markets, Diageo is the number one international spirits company in Asia, Latin America and Africa. These rapidly growing markets now contribute nearly 40% of Diageo’s net sales, up from a fifth in 2005. These markets are expected to contribute 50% of Diageo’s net sales by 2015 through double digit organic growth and targeted acquisitions.
Diageo expects to make selective acquisitions, in particular the acquisition of companies with both strong local routes to market and brands that appeal to the growing number of middle class consumers in the emerging markets. The acquisitions of Mey İçki in Turkey, Ypióca in Brazil, the Serengeti and Meta breweries in Africa and the investments in Shuijingfang and Halico in Asia demonstrate this strategy in action.
Diageo leads the industry in marketing and innovation combining expertise and creative alliances to engage consumers via digital and traditional media channels. This expertise and collaboration, combined with the benefits of global scale and consumer insights, delivers world class marketing campaigns. For example, the global Johnnie Walker ’Keep Walking’ campaign has been in place for over 10 years. While the campaign is based on the universal appeal of personal progress, each market has local creative executions which reflect local insights.
Diageo’s innovation programme is also based on consumer insights. Recent launches have focused on the consumers’ wish for luxury, the tastes and increasing affluence of the emerging middle class consumer and have increased the accessibility of spirits through flavour extensions and packaging and drink formats.
Diageo has strong routes to market which leverage local expertise. In the United States Diageo is required by law to operate via a three-tier distribution system which separates suppliers, distributors and retailers. Diageo works with distributors who provide a substantial dedicated sales team of over 2,900 people. Outside of the United States Diageo owns and controls the route to market in many markets, and where Diageo has not established its own subsidiary, the route to market is through joint ventures, associates and third party distributors. Diageo works in collaboration with its customers to drive profitable category growth, by building partnerships with retailers and on-premise customers. The ‘Diageo Way of Selling’ programme equips both Diageo and its customers with the tools to be the best sales force in the industry and to create commercial and strategic value for all parties. The European Customer Collaboration Centre provides a state of the art facility to bring consumer, shopper, retailer and distributor insights together to facilitate integrated planning with customers. These tools enable Diageo to realise its ambition to become an indispensable business partner to its customers.
Diageo has a history of being a sustainable and responsible company dating from Arthur Guinness who was responsible for philanthropic community programmes and through the 1930s when its predecessor companies marketed their brands in a responsible manner. Diageo understands the social, environmental and economic impact of its activities and has adopted a structured approach to manage these impacts, to build engagement across stakeholders, to create value, especially in emerging markets; and to protect Diageo’s license to operate.
Diageo and its employees are proud of the responsible manner in which its brands are marketed and the role that moderate consumption of its brands can play as part of the balanced lifestyle for millions of people. Diageo seeks to be at the forefront of industry efforts to promote responsible drinking and works with key stakeholders to combat alcohol misuse.
Diageo’s supply organisation is responsible for producing, distilling, brewing, bottling, packaging and distributing its brands. It is committed to efficient, sustainable production. Diageo has created a competitive advantage in both its cost base and in the first class customer service it delivers. Investment in production facilities is focused on building capacity for the production of scotch, beer and rum, with both high speed and high volume, cost efficient production lines and with flexible production facilities to create an industry leading supply chain for innovation, especially in luxury products. The business recognises that it operates in a world where natural resources are limited. Diageo has set itself challenging environmental targets covering water efficiency; increasing use of sustainable packaging and reduction in pollution, carbon emissions and waste-to landfill. Diageo’s production teams have created award winning technologies to meet these targets with the aim of reducing Diageo’s environmental footprint, delivering business efficiencies and securing supply into the future.
Diageo is committed to generating prosperity in the communities in which it operates, especially in the emerging markets by integrating its supply chain into the local community and via direct community initiatives such as ‘Learning for Life’ and ‘Water of Life’.
Diageo believes that industry leading performance will be delivered through a talented and diverse workforce and great leadership. The company has active programmes that ensure the development of its management and leaders. Great leadership combined with a culture of good governance and ethics, protect Diageo’s reputation and supports the sustainable efficient growth of the business.
