Diddy claims Diageo dismissed his vodka as a black brand with hip hop ties

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Beverages giant Diageo reportedly dismissed the line of vodka promoted with rapper Sean Combs as an “urban African American brand tied to a personality” and failed to promote the alcohol to the wider market, according to legal filings. He was not interested.

Newly unpublished portions of a complaint alleging racial discrimination, originally filed by the artist known as Diddy in May, allege the alcoholic beverage conglomerate used the Korok vodka brand to create a “strong hip hop association”. Also described as. Combs argues that Diageo intentionally underinvested in its range of vodkas and marketed them primarily to black consumers.

The 53-year-old also alleged that the beverage maker pushed ahead with the launch of a watermelon flavor of Deleon Tequila, another jointly owned brand, despite Combs’s “efforts to educate Diageo about the racial history and connotations related to watermelon”. extended. For decades, racist caricatures in the US and Europe have associated African-Americans with the fruit.

Diageo, which split from Combs on 27 June, said: “Combs supported, publicly supported, and benefited financially from the success of Ciroc Summer Watermelon for many years. His attempt to reintroduce follow-up discussions regarding innovation to DeLeon is, like his entire suit, disingenuous and selfish.

Diageo said it was “surprising” that Combs was criticizing Kerroc and Deleon’s marketing as he was “solely responsible for brand marketing, and his personally owned media agency was the marketing agency of record for the tequila line”. .

The group had previously “categorically” denied Combs’ allegations, which it said included “numerous outrageous and outrageous allegations of racism on the part of Diageo and some of its senior executives”.

Diageo and Grammy-winner Combs first came together in 2007 when the company hired him to promote its diminutive Ciroc vodka brand. The two parties entered into a joint venture in 2013 to purchase the much-hyped Deleon Tequila, with limited edition shots being sold for $90 each.

But Combs said his beverage brand has become “starved” of production, distribution and sales resources at the expense of other brands such as Casamigos Tequila. Actor George Clooney sold that brand to Diageo in 2017 for up to $1 billion.

In Wednesday’s unredacted filing, Combs’ lawyers further alleged that amid shortages in 2020, Diageo allocated supplies of the key ingredient agave to competing tequila labels, “allowing Deleon to obtain agave sources at a cost significantly higher than the spot market.” was forced to”.

He also claimed that a clerical error by Diageo caused Mexican authorities to confiscate some tequila, restricting supplies of the Combs brand.

In the original filing in New York in May, Combs alleged that Diageo executive Stephen Rust told her in late 2019 that “if she were Martha Stewart, her brands would be more widespread”.