Multi-brand Smart Shelf: Creating Awareness for Diageo Brands

Challenge

In today’s retail landscape — where shopper attention is scarce and competition is visual — Diageo, the global leader in premium spirits, decided to rethink how it presents its portfolio in modern channels.Partnering with AIM Worldwide, the company launched the SmartShelf Multibrand project — an innovative display system that blends design, technology, and brand strategy to turn a traditional shelf into a powerful, experience-driven platform.

The challenge was as creative as it was complex.
Diageo needed to build awareness simultaneously across several of its flagship brands — Smirnoff, Baileys, Buchanan’s, Black & White, and Johnnie Walker — within the same display area, while ensuring each retained its distinct identity.

At the same time, it needed to do so in the modern retail channel, where shopper flow is high, attention spans are short, and visual noise is overwhelming.
According to AIM Worldwide, the goal was “to create awareness for Diageo’s diverse brands in a new and engaging way within the Modern Channel.”

This required more than great design — it demanded a cohesive brand architecture capable of amplifying multiple voices in one harmonious space.

Solution

The answer was the creation of SmartShelf Headers, an intelligent display system designed to attract, communicate, and convert.

Key features included:

• Multimedia screens embedded within the headers, displaying promotional videos for each brand and creating a unified narrative across the portfolio.
• Custom structural designs that maximized visibility from multiple aisle angles, enticing shoppers to stop and explore.
• Ample and accessible stock, ensuring that inspiration could instantly turn into purchase.

Developed by AIM Worldwide, the project transformed a static retail space into a multi-sensory experience that gave each brand its moment while strengthening Diageo’s collective presence.

Results

The results were both aesthetic and commercial.
The SmartShelf Multibrand activation:

• Increased visibility in key supermarket aisles, giving Diageo’s portfolio a dominant, unified presence.
• Boosted sales during activation periods, thanks to eye-catching visuals and immediate product accessibility.
• Enhanced brand equity, positioning Diageo as an innovator in experiential retail marketing.

As noted by AIM Worldwide, the smart displays “not only helped create awareness but also improved in-store execution and deepened the emotional connection between shoppers and the brands.”

While exact figures were not disclosed, the qualitative impact was clear: a measurable increase in brand engagement and commercial return, proving that physical retail remains a key driver of growth when reimagined through intelligence and creativity.

Strategic Insights: A Playbook for Multibrand Retail

The SmartShelf Multibrand case offers valuable lessons for brand and retail leaders alike:

1. Unified portfolios strengthen perception. When multiple brands are displayed together under a coherent visual system, they reinforce each other’s value and recognition.
2. Technology drives purchase decisions. The use of multimedia screens transformed shopper curiosity into conversion through emotional storytelling.
3. Design and logistics must align. Availability is as critical as visibility — SmartShelf made sure inspiration met immediate access.
4. Modern retail demands engagement, not just display. Shoppers seek interaction, and dynamic digital elements deliver that experience.

Together, these principles demonstrate how physical retail can evolve into a storytelling ecosystem that bridges branding and sales seamlessly.

Conclusion: From Shelf Space to Strategic Space

The SmartShelf Multibrand project by AIM Worldwide for Diageo proves that innovation in retail isn’t limited to digital platforms — it thrives wherever creativity meets precision.

When a display doesn’t just show but also tells stories, engages emotions, and facilitates decisions, it becomes more than a merchandising element — it becomes a living marketing tool.

In an economy where attention is the ultimate currency, Diageo showed that the smartest brands aren’t just present — they’re memorable, measurable, and meaningful.

‍

Know more about our strategies in trade marketing.