Connecting with consumers through storytelling: how we’re building Diageo's luxury brand portfolio in Southeast Asia

31 Oct 2023 Asia PacificThailandLuxuryDigitalMarketing
David Dang

Our luxury spirits have been at the heart of celebrations for years across Southeast Asia. It takes cross-functional efforts and expertise to ensure our brands are front of mind for luxury consumers.  We hear from David Dang, our Southeast Asia Luxury Director, about our journey to elevate consumer experiences across our exciting luxury portfolio, and the multidisciplinary team behind the strategy and execution that’s driving our luxury business is SEA.

Q. Why were you passionate about joining Diageo?

I’ve always been attracted by the unique stories behind luxury bottles, from champagnes and wines to cognacs and whiskies. The Diageo portfolio of luxury spirits, created from the very best of Diageo’s extensive stocks of whisky, rum and tequila, keeps on feeding my excitement  in this space.

I decided to join Diageo because its ambition to be a leader in the luxury spirits industry really resonated with me. Growth of luxury was incredibly resilient during Covid-19 and is expected to continue accelerating in Southeast Asia. For me, this is a unique opportunity to leave a legacy, together with my team, by helping to pioneer Diageo as a trusted and respected provider of luxury experiences and products.

Q. How would you describe your role at Diageo and what’s the most exciting thing about it?

I’m responsible for leading the building of a culture first & digital-centric luxury brand building strategy for Southeast Asia. My remit includes setting the vision, priorities, and objectives for our luxury brands, whilst helping Diageo employees to harness our rich heritage and expertise, and channel this into the luxury space to which we lend ourselves to. Another aspect of my role is ensuring that SEA markets get the support they need to implement their luxury strategy based on their market maturity.

But by far, the most exciting part of the role is coaching and growing a group of very talented people who form the SEA Luxury team. We have an incredible blend of talent within the team joining from industries like luxury, beauty, fashion and beverage. With such diversity of experience looking after a collection of iconic luxury brands , our team are confident in bringing new perspectives and inspiration to the Diageo luxury portfolio!

Q. Can you tell us about the kind of work your team is involved in?

Our priorities have consisted of components such as innovative gifting solutions, increasing visibility of experiences in outlets, and building awareness by increasing talkability in cultural campaigns.

We are building desirability, talkability and visibility by influencing the influencers, infiltrating the most aspirational clubs and saturating global tentpole events. This year, the team worked on the Southeast Asia launch for Don Julio 1942. We collaborated with Peggy Gou, the most celebrated Asian female DJ in the global club circuit, for the launch ceremony and had our Don Julio Global Brand Ambassador Karina Sanchez hosting our tasting events.

More recently, we hosted the Asia launch of our new limited edition - Johnnie Walker Blue Label Elusive Umami in Singapore. The launch event featured a plethora of immersive & multi-sensorial experiences for our guests. And we were also joined by Johnnie Walker Master Blender Dr. Emma Walker, and world-renowned Chef Kei Kobayashi, who showcased how they collaborated on this edition to push the boundaries of whisky. In addition, we created a presence outside the trade, displaying Umami among iconic luxury brands such as Dior and Chanel in luxury department stores.

It is through these kinds of campaigns and collaborations that our team is building the unique experience and reputation of the Diageo luxury portfolio among SEA consumers.

Elusive umami in sigapore

Q. What have you learnt in your previous experience within the Luxury industry that you’ll be harnessing at Diageo?

More than anything, luxury is about emotion. It’s about connecting a consumer with a brand, and this connection is established through storytelling in everything we do.

Fundamentally, we must be influencers and disruptors – creating desirability by exciting and inspiring our consumers. Being perceived as innovative by consumers is critical to the success of being a luxury brand. And, it is from storytelling that our team is building our luxury brands’ credentials whether it be via content creation, culture, events, brand campaigns and communities. This, along with attention to detail, a focus on being customer centric, and insights & data, is what will continue to drive us forward in this space.

Q. What are your Top 3 tips for someone looking to join the Luxury team at Diageo?

  • Possess luxury flair: be a keen follower of the luxury industry and have personal aspirations for the products.
  • Be obsessed with excellence: be detail orientated - pay extra attention to every detail in a world where zero-tolerance is the norm.
  • Be empathetic: empathy is the essence of luxury. Creating an empathetic experience for our consumers that lets them feel seen, understood, and taken care of, is what ultimately offers that feeling of luxury.

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