As vice president for On Premise Strategy and Multicultural Marketing for Diageo, North America, one of the world’s leading spirits and beverage companies, Marc Strachan ’81 leads efforts to advance top brands in the industry
Member of Adelphi University’s Profiles in Success program.
Currently Vice President of Corporate Relations and Constituent Affairs at Diageo North America
Previously Vice President for On Premise Strategy and Multicultural Marketing at Diageo
Marc Strachan ’81 describes his work at Diageo North America with palpable energy. As vice president for On Premise Strategy and Multicultural Marketing for one of the world’s leading spirits and beverage companies, Strachan leads efforts to advance top brands in the industry. He brings his expertise to two different but equally vital businesses: the on premise interaction between consumer and product at restaurants across the country, and the emerging markets of multicultural marketing. Diageo’s leadership position continually demands innovation and ambition, bringing new challenges and opportunities to each day.
Strachan joined Diageo eight years ago, after more than 20 years on both the agency and product management sides of marketing. He served as Director of Brand Marketing for Ciroc vodka at a key moment in its rise to prominence. “It was a perfect storm,” he recalls. “We had a great product, a great package, and the right price, but for some time the challenge had been to find the audience.”
Undaunted by rivals in the market, Strachan knew that vodka represented an emerging opportunity. At the same time, Diageo had secured a dynamic partner in Sean Combs. “We were able to bring it all together,” he says. “We made vodka younger, more fun. This coincided with the rise of club attendance and the fact that bottle service was taking off, and we had all the growth drivers.”
Within a few years, Strachan had guided Ciroc from 60,000 cases per year to more than two million. And with that unprecedented growth came supply chain challenges and an increased focus on production and logistics. For Strachan it wasn’t the first time that he experienced such a whirlwind of success; he also directed brand marketing for Tanqueray Gin, and prior to joining Diageo he had been on Miller Brewing’s account when it introduced Miller Genuine Draft.
Strachan’s approach to his work brims with passion; he takes pride in representing excellence, and he emphasizes the power of a strong organization. “Diageo is an outstanding company,” he explains. “Here we really have the power to focus on being the best, even if it means stopping a project mid-way to pursue a new, better idea.” Diageo also demands the highest standards of ethics in its marketing and in its own internal policies an employee practices. The firm has been recognized for its excellence in training and staff development, and boasts a 100% mark on the employer equity index.
A native of Bushwick, Brooklyn, Strachan attended St. Francis Prep before choosing Adelphi. After an uninspired start as an accounting major, he was turned on to marketing by legendary professor Greg Gutman. Among many fond memories of faculty, including Sal Primeggia, Phyllis Jackson, and Richard Morrison, he credits Adelphi with helping him find his voice and “inner leader.” “Adelphi really appreciated the entire spirit of the late 1970s,” he recalls, “there was so much energy on campus; it really shaped us into the men and women we became.”
After Adelphi, an AAAA fellowship opened the door to the New York City marketing world. He has never forgotten those early opportunities, and has devoted himself to ensuring that others will benefit from the same. Strachan is a former member of the AAAA New York Board of Directors and the former chair of their Diversity Council, serves on the Advisory Board of the Baruch College Graduate School, Corporate Communications Department, and is on the Board of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and ADCOLOR Inc.