Premium today goes beyond pin codes, says Diageo India’s Ruchira Jaitly

At a time when India’s alcobev market is becoming increasingly competitive and culturally dynamic, Diageo India is recalibrating its marketing playbook around long-term brand equity, distinctive assets and immersive consumer experiences.

Ruchira Jaitly, Chief Marketing Officer, Diageo India, said the company’s marketing investments are anchored in building enduring relevance rather than chasing short-term visibility. “Our marketing efforts have always focused on building long-term brand equity through meaningful consumer engagement. At Diageo, we are looking at balancing quality of connect with the scale of impact,” she noted.

According to Jaitly, the emphasis is on platforms that allow brands to show up with purpose through culture, craft and shared values, especially as consumers increasingly seek experiences over one-way communication through traditional media. For the company’s Scotch whisky brand Black Dog, this has translated into high-impact storytelling at scale alongside immersive, culture-led partnerships.

One such example is the announcement of actor Emilia Clarke as global brand ambassador for Black Dog, alongside on-ground cultural integrations such as the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. While the celebrity association signals global aspiration, Jaitly underscored that such initiatives are meant to reinforce long-term equity rather than serve as standalone PR moments.

“Overall, our investments are guided by a clear intent: to create enduring brand equity and relevance, not just short-term visibility, while remaining firmly anchored in responsible marketing principles,” she said.

Media mix and digital evolution

As media consumption fragments across screens, Diageo has recalibrated its targeting strategy. Varun Koorichh, Vice President, Marketing at Diageo India, noted that the shift from demographic to psychographic and lifestyle segmentation has become central to planning.

“With everyone having their own screen, you have to be super sharp when it comes to targeting,” he said, adding that 50 to 60 per cent of spends for a brand like Black Dog are directed towards digital platforms.

Among digital channels, YouTube remains a key platform for quality reach and measurable storytelling, followed by OTT platforms and Meta’s social ecosystems. Influencers contribute to reach, though Koorichh stressed the need for careful selection to ensure alignment with brand positioning. Connected TV is currently treated as a separate line item within the media mix, reflecting the increasingly nuanced classification of digital platforms.

Premium beyond metros

As premium brands expand beyond metros, Diageo’s approach to regional storytelling is being shaped by aspiration and cultural affinity rather than geography alone.

“Premium today is defined by aspiration, mindset, and cultural affinity over mere pin codes,” Jaitly observed.

She added that this means the company’s approach to regional storytelling is anchored in consumer and cultural relevance, even as it works to make its brands increasingly accessible to India’s aspiring and premiumising consumers. Premium brands scale most effectively when they respect local context while remaining true to their global values.

On-premise versus off-premise

Jaitly drew a clear distinction between the roles of on-premise and off-premise touchpoints in shaping brand preference.

On-premise environments, including bars and experiential spaces, are critical for storytelling and discovery. “They allow consumers to engage with a brand’s personality, philosophy, and craftsmanship in a more engaging and memorable way,” she said.

Off-premise and browsable retail environments, meanwhile, are particularly influential, as visual identity, packaging and shelf presence play a decisive role in shaping consumer choice. The recent Black Dog Scotch brand refresh, she noted, is aimed at signalling modern luxury while remaining rooted in the brand’s heritage, an expression that can be reinforced strongly at retail.

Jaitly added that today’s consumers encounter brands across multiple contexts, making consistency essential. The focus, she said, is on building a coherent brand world across retail, on-premise, cultural platforms and digital storytelling.

Koorichh described packaging as “possibly the number one driver of brand equity.” 

“In a cluttered retail environment, the first interaction often happens at the shelf, where distinctive elements such as colour, word mark and logo can determine which brand is picked up,” he explained.

Experience as proof of philosophy

Beyond films and celebrity endorsements, Diageo sees live experiences as critical to credibility and memorability. While advertising films can deliver reach and glamour, experiential formats allow consumers to engage more meaningfully with brand philosophy, strengthening recall and authenticity.

In a category where direct attribution is complex due to regulatory constraints, marketing effectiveness is evaluated through a mix of short-term talkability metrics and long-term brand equity measures. Digital listening tools now allow near real-time feedback, enabling quicker optimisation.

“Marketing effectiveness is about ensuring that whatever we create, in terms of content or immersive experiences, is reaching the right audiences. In this case, the young affluent consumer across regions. It depends on how enticing your content is and how well your media planning ensures access to that philosophy of the brand,” added Koorichh.

Gen Z shifts and evolving expectations

Generational shifts are also shaping category dynamics. Koorichh observed that younger consumers are increasingly prioritising quality and experience over quantity.

“With Gen Z, it’s about drinking better and not drinking more,” he said, noting that flavour experimentation and cocktail culture are influencing even traditionally whisky-led portfolios.

He added that authenticity has become a critical filter, with younger cohorts expecting consistency between positioning and action, making credibility a key differentiator in a crowded market.

Competing in a crowded landscape

With newer entrants investing heavily in branding and marketing sophistication, differentiation now requires sharper tracking of brand perception.

Koorichh said teams closely monitor equity measures to understand how consumers view the brand relative to competitors, particularly in areas such as aspiration, distinctiveness and relevance. In a fast-moving environment, agility is becoming as important as scale.

The company is also integrating AI across creative and analytics workflows. From speeding up early-stage visualisation in content creation to enabling more predictive media planning, AI is helping compress timelines and improve decision-making precision.

“It’s definitely the way forward, and we are adopting it,” Koorichh concluded.