Outdated production models were suffocating creative content at scale. With customer expectations soaring and production costs climbing, Diageo needed a game-changing approach to content creation — one built on agility, creativity and efficiency. They faced several key challenges:
Diageo
How Diageo Cut Costs by 50% Without Compromise with Smart Production
Ride Shotgun partnered with Diageo to transform global content creation with a smarter, scalable production model — cutting costs by 50% and boosting video engagement by 1500%.
- Video & Animation
- Brand
- Content
About Diageo
Diageo – the global drinks leader behind world-renowned brands including Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Guinness, and Smirnoff, as well as luxury single malts like The Singleton, Talisker, Lagavulin, and Oban, needed a bold transformation in how it created and delivered content.
As one of the world’s largest beverage companies, operating in more than 180 countries, Diageo wanted to modernise its approach to storytelling, scaling creativity efficiently across diverse global audiences.
The Challenge
- A need for scale and speed: Producing hundreds of high-quality content pieces for thebar.com – at the right time and on budget felt impossible.
- A brand identity unfit for aspiration: Malts struggled with an old-fashioned, narrow identity. It needed a fresh, modern appeal that resonated with today’s diverse audience.
- Costly production processes: Traditional methods, with bloated agency fees, saw videos costing £30k+ and large projects topping £2m—unsustainable in today’s market.
To stay ahead, Diageo needed a partner who could revolutionise their content creation with agility, creativity and efficiency.
The Solution
Smarter Production. Sharper Strategy and Seamless Strategy. Ride Shotgun stepped in as Diageo’s trusted partner to create a bold, fit-for-purpose solution that transformed their approach.
Smart, scalable content production: Delivered customer-focused content packs for thebar.com including recipe videos, localisation for global audiences, and stills – for less than £10k per project. Fast, high-quality, and adaptable to global needs.
Cost-efficient packaging solutions: Designed luxury gift packaging for malts.com, tying premium aesthetics to the brand story. Packaging wasn’t just functional, it was shareable and memorable, driving re-engagement.
Game-changing agency model: We replaced traditional agency models with streamlined processes that brought strategy, creative, and production expertise together saving time and slashing costs.
The Results
Impact that speaks volumes.
With Ride Shotgun’s joined-up approach, Diageo turned complex challenges into measurable impact. Malts.com was reborn as a modern, aspirational brand through strategic storytelling, bold design and content that drives engagement. Powered by an agile production model, hundreds of assets were delivered seamlessly across channels — increasing speed to market, consistency and audience reach.
This was a challenging and logistically complex brief, with some extremely nervous stakeholders. I have been so impressed by not only how flawlessly it’s been executed but also the thought, care and creativity that’s been put into it by Ride Shotgun. It’s been so refreshing to work with a team where I don’t have to worry at all about the quality of the output or the thoroughness of the process to get there.
With Ride Shotgun, Diageo proved that smarter, faster production doesn’t just save money, it elevates brands. By delivering high-impact content for less, we helped the world’s largest drinks company meet customer demands, enhance brand perception, and set a new standard for what’s possible in modern marketing.
Ready to scale your brand like Diageo? Let’s talk.