“It’s one time we have to create that moment of choice.” — Diageo’s Head of Commercial talks consumer trade-up.

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We pulled this conversation from our monthly Experience Exec Live event. Our most recent, "How to Get Consumers to Trace Up to Luxury Products,” aired on 16 April and can be watched for free at this link or on AnyRoad’s LinkedIn page.

“When doing details,” Daniel Cruz confirms about experiential marketing, “consumers will notice.”

• Daniel Cruz, the savvy Global Head of Commercial for Diageo’s Luxury Portfolio, oversees commercial brands from Don Julio to Ciroc, including the special in-store moments that create deeper loyalty for the brand.?

“Be true to your brand. At the end of the day, every single brand has magic and a story you need to bring to life. You have to think about how you depict it and project that story.”

• Cruz feels deeply that nuance and intimate brand understanding are the keys to consumer trade-up towards purchasing more luxury products, meaning higher average transaction value and lifetime value overall. This magic can inspire action during the big ‘moment of choice’ that Cruz champions, with a keen eye toward making each consumer touchpoint intentional and personalized.

Going Deeper?

Daniel Cruz has worked at Diageo for over 23 years, seeing every end of the business, from sales to customer marketing. His long tenure has given him a complete understanding of a Diageo consumer's journey from awareness to purchase to continued loyalty. So, he has a unique grasp on the purchase trajectory towards luxury trade-ups. Read on to hear more of our favorite insights from our recent conversation:

On changing consumer behavior: “At the end of the day, this immediate transaction is one time that we have to create that moment of choice, how we’re going to shape that consumer behavior and build those memory structures with our luxury portfolios.”

Memory Structure Definition: Memory structures are the connections between nerve cells in the brain that form when a memory is first created. These structures can be activated by specific colors, sounds, emotions, or sensations. When these connections are consistently triggered, the memory gets stronger.

On first-touch strategy and continuing to build consumer relationships: “Brand homes are a great opportunity for first-touch. It’s an incredible first contact. How are we going to capture that specific data, that CRM, so that we can prolong and nurture that specific visit? You have an amazing immersive experience in the brand home, so how do you continue that?”

On Cruz’s favorite trade-up strategy: “For a gifting experience in some of the department stores with Don Julio, you’re a Columbian customer going to buy a gift, why not get a Tequila Don Julio and customize the label to get ‘Don Greg’ or ‘Don Danielle’? They’re creating a 360 activation halo effect not just for the gift itself but also for how we’re capturing CRM data and creating that continuous omnichannel journey to continue the experience."

Want to see the full conversation? Watch it now on LinkedIn!

More Like This

If you’re interested in more experiential education, we've gathered up some other community-oriented resources for you:

• Brand homes as a larger strategy — See what Cruz means when he talks about the benefits of a brand home, not just as an experience but as an entire brand growth strategy.
• The framework for experiential marketing maturity — How does an experiential strategy go from a siloed effort to a self-sustaining revenue center? Take a look at the paths you can take to get your team a seat at the table.
• Cruz’s Diageo in action? — Curious about Diageo’s Johnnie Walker brand home? Take a look at how they went from plan to profit.