Diageo’s Head Of Community Engagement &…
Source: Diageo
Behind every culture-shifting model marketing campaign, is a dynamic visionary like Dr. Danielle Robinson, Head of Community Engagement and Partnerships at Diageo, who elevated Homecoming season with the famed model’s ‘Show Your HBCU Spirit’ initiative.
“We started off in 2021 with a $12.7 million dollar donation to 28 HBCUs and wanted to really stay engaged with our schools and the alumni audience by engaging around moments of celebration like Homecomings and Anniversaries,” said Robinson, an award-winning advocate for community-empowerment.
“It was actually when I began to interact and perceive the neglect of the HBCU group from a Governmental perspective as properly as a company perspective, that I believed this was a manner for us to interact and make a distinction.
Rooted in authenticity, the impactful initiative celebrates HBCU tradition while building group, powering Homecoming/Classic activations, offering scholarships to assist future leaders, and fostering important applications like Learning Skills For Life.
Source: Diageo/Hyyer Creative
“The Learning Skills for Life program is one of our flagship community programs globally,” said Robinson. “I lead it right here for North America, and have been doing it for 12 years. It’s a program that specializes in training people in underemployed communities in bartending, hospitality, and entrepreneurship.
“We operate in 10 cities and have in-person applications so it’s free, free, free for anyone who desires to get a basis in bartending. The online and in-person courses that we do face to face vary from 5 days to 3 weeks and you will be a bar back or a full-on bartender when you graduate.
We graduated 8,000 college students in North America since we began–280,000 globally and associate with duty-free firms, Carnival Cruise Lines, and Marriott Hilton.
Our college students are working all over the place. I’ve had college students on Bar Rescue. It’s phenomenal.”
Source: Diageo/Hyyer Creative
With everlasting endowments at 28 HBCUs and minority-serving Institutions, Diageo prolonged its profitable streak with stops at the buzziest Homecomings, including SpelHouse, North Carolina A&T’s ‘GHOE,’ and Howard University’s star-studded Off The Yard Festival.
To honor the legacy and delight of “The Mecca,” the trend-conscious model introduced out viral comic Desi Banks and rising Hip-Hop star Lady London to have fun the enduring spirit of Howard University.
Source: Diageo/Hyyer Creative
Source: Diageo/Hyyer Creative
Source: Diageo/Hyyer Creative
Building on the momentum from Homecoming SZN ’25, Diageo announced its return to the legendary Bayou Classic between Grambling State and Southern University on Nov. 28-29 in New Orleans.
As tens of hundreds collect for the storied spectacle, the model (which serves as the Classic’s official spirits associate) will highlight inclusivity, group influence, and legacy through alumni storytelling and scholar engagement via the Learning Skills for Life program.
“New Orleans is amazing during the Bayou Classic–300,000 people descending on the city,” said Robinson. “You know, the dome, all the parties, the celebrations in the streets, you could just walk up and start dancing in the middle of the sidewalks.”
While there’s actually an emphasis on selling a good time, particularly when having fun with spirits from its sturdy portfolio (over 200 manufacturers!), it’s clear that security is also a major precedence for Diageo.
“I want [students] to leave [our events] with a message of responsible consumption and that sometimes the best decision is not to consume at all,” said Robinson.
So we now have our ‘Cheers To Choice’ program, which is about low, mid, and no choices, which suggests we now have mocktails on the menu, we now have low alc choices on the menu, so you may have some selections.
And sometimes you may just need a mocktail, or you could possibly have a improbable cocktail from some of our brands-so they’ve many selections.
[And we want them to] make sure they’re considering about how they get home after an night–our ‘Take a Minute, Make a Plan’ program addresses that. But just understanding that alcohol wants to be used in a accountable manner.”
For more information about Diageo’s HBCU-focused campaigns, click on right here.
The post Diageo’s Head Of Community Engagement & Partnerships Dr. Danielle Robinson Redefines Homecoming Experience With ‘Show Your HBCU Spirit’ Initiative [Exclusive] appeared first on GWN.
