See how we helped spirits maker Diageo drink in valuable new sponsorship opportunities...
Diageo — owner of spirits brands including Crown Royal, Baileys, Jose Cuervo and Johnny Walker, and a highly successful sponsor — turned to IEG to evaluate its U.S. portfolio.
Working with Diageo leadership, IEG developed a suite of decision-making tools to better align sponsorships undertaken by its brands and regional offices with corporate objectives. This enabled sponsorship decision-makers at all levels of the company to continue to make independent decisions, but ensured that they supported a common goal. To quickly seed and embed the new tools throughout the organization, we developed a series of Diageo Boot Camps to train key people in each market.
Also as part of the process, we helped Diageo migrate to a two-team sponsorship structure. One team focuses on maximizing current sponsorships, with staff specifically assigned to activation and measurement. The other team oversees selection, planning and negotiations, and identifying new opportunities.
By separating those responsibilities into two discrete functions, Diageo has developed stronger expertise in each area, enabling a better return on investment from its sponsorships without incurring additional expense.
Today, Diageo selects the properties that best meet its key objectives, negotiates for rights and benefits that serve its corporate goals, pays the fair market value for sponsorships, and is better equipped to measure and assess its portfolio for optimal performance.