Phil Pearson champions multicultural narratives for Diageo’s brands

Phil Pearson’s passion for storytelling has found a home at drinks giant Diageo, where his creative instincts and business strategy have driven affinity within multicultural communities for brands including Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness. See all of Ad Age’s 40 Under 40 honorees here For Pearson, every cocktail is an opportunity to fascinate—the provenance of the liquid, a fact about its production or the persona of the brand behind it. “People want to know about what they’re enjoying when they’re celebrating,” he said. “That also is a currency amongst friends—did you know that this little rum we’re drinking right now was made in this little corner of Guatemala and made this way? It’s like a cultural currency that I think is just so interesting and beautiful.” A 10-year Diageo veteran, Pearson, 37, serves as director, experiential partnerships. His purview includes overseeing influencer entertainment marketing, strategic partnerships and consumer-centric experiential strategies. Pearson’s vision has helped Diageo back its $11 million commitment to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, through initiatives that recruit a multicultural audience for brands within the portfolio such as the tequila brand Don Julio, which has grown fastest among African American drinkers. Pearson helped Tanqueray significantly improve its brand health and perception and led the first-ever global creative campaign for the luxury rum brand Zacapa, “Lips to Soul.” That project included a collaboration with designer Raul Lopez and resulted in 10 times greater demand than what was expected and a whopping 1.2 billion PR impressions. See all of Ad Age’s 40 Under 40 honorees here If you could have dinner with one person, alive or dead, who would it be and why? Strong, courageous women like my mom and my grandmother have taught me everything I know about the importance of open-mindedness, curiosity and an insatiable appetite for learning that creates great leaders. So I would have to pick another incredible woman—and for me, that would be Michelle Obama. I would want to glean any insight I can from her: What does the world need right now? What gives you hope? What’s that one song in your motivational hype playlist? What are the top two social media sites you use on a regular basis? I love long-form content. I’m big on learning something new, so I spend a lot of time on YouTube watching “Master Class”—teaching myself how to DJ or change a couple of parts on my car. My niece Madison Jaye is 13 and an incredible gymnast. So I watch a lot of dance TikTok videos and gymnast news via TikTok as well. What’s currently on your bedside reading list? “Atomic Habits,” by James Clear. It’s my second time reading it. In short, never forget and underestimate the importance of small habits. They make a big difference. And just looking at life through the lens of getting 1% better every day, it’s very grounding in the here and now. Every day, Monday through Friday, while it’s still dark outside, the lights come on in my house and the alarm goes off at 5:30 in the morning. I take a sip of water and I immediately grab “The Book of Awakening” by Mark Nepo. It’s become a part of my mindfulness practice every day. It’s a great grounding first thing in the morning and a gentle reminder of the importance of creating space for deep reflection and taking each day as it comes. What was the last show you binge-watched? I’m more of a podcast and music guy, but I love to laugh. So it’s usually a stand-up comedy special that I’m watching. I’m a big fan of Natasha Rothwell, who was in “Insecure,” and she just came out with a show on Hulu called “How to Die Alone.” I’m currently binge-watching that. At what age do you hope to retire? I thought about this long and hard. Do we ever retire in the formal sense when the work has a deep sense of meaning and purpose? My honest hope is that work always brings a deep sense of meaning and purpose to my life, so that the work is intentional and purposeful, and the soul and heart don’t get tired from that. So I don’t know that I ever want to formally retire. I want to move through the stages of day-to-day management, leading and advising, with the hope and intent that the work is always purposeful. See all of Ad Age’s 40 Under 40 honorees here

Phil Pearson champions multicultural narratives for Diageo’s brands

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