Diageo’s Sophie Kelly on why great brand-building starts offline

Marketers love to talk about “meeting people where they are.” Diageo’s Sophie Kelly actually does it.

As SVP of global tequila and mezcal categories, Kelly doesn’t just track trends — she watches behavior. Case in point: a ski resort ritual where partygoers poured mini Don Julio 1942 bottles into hot chocolate. “We took that and scaled it,” she says. For Kelly, these unscripted moments are signals — clues for building brands people don’t just see but feel.

In this episode of The Big Impression, Kelly breaks down how Diageo is turning tequila into a global cultural force. One standout example: a six-city collaboration with DJ and fashion icon Peggy Gou that combined out-of-home, merch drops, pop-up events and hyperlocal storytelling. From a Hong Kong hot pot party to a Milan piazza activation, every detail was designed to blur the line between brand and experience.

“It was about actions — doing something, not just talking about it,” Kelly says. That strategy paid off: 9 billion impressions, 190 days of content consumed and engagement that spanned physical spaces, social platforms and even global duty-free at airports.

As the fastest-growing spirits segment worldwide, tequila is no longer defined by college shots and margaritas. It’s showing up in cocktails like old-fashioneds and espresso martinis — often in moments of emotional connection. “You must create experiences that allow what we call ‘accessible luxury,’” she says.

She leaves marketers with one guiding principle: “Work with people who love your brand. Listen to what’s happening with your brand in culture and then add to that. … Don’t interrupt it.”