Curiosity, sports drinks, and Michael Jordan—that’s how Roderick Blaylock was first bitten by the marketing bug. It all started with a Gatorade commercial he watched as a child, introducing him to the power of a well-considered campaign.
“Growing up and seeing the legendary Be Like Mike commercial felt like it was made for me and my friends,” he says. “I really thought I was Michael Jordan!”
A few years later, Blaylock spoke to an aunt who worked in marketing. His aunt shared insights about her job, including her day-to-day responsibilities, which influenced Blaylock’s decision to pursue a similar path.
“During my sophomore year of high school, I took a marketing class before eventually majoring in it in college,” he explains. “It was the only subject I wanted to learn more about.”
For Blaylock, Jordan’s aspirational advertisement was the spark, and having a real-life role model in his aunt helped guide and shape his career journey. Now, Blaylock is the Vice President of Marketing at Casamigos, a tequila brand owned by Diageo. “After graduation, I worked in media planning at an agency, which was perfect for teaching me how to reach audiences, before Diageo and I eventually found each other.”
Blaylock joined Diageo in 2007 as the Brand Marketing Manager for Captain Morgan. Energized and engaged by the work, he steadily ascended the ranks to become the Brand Marketing Director for Cîroc vodka. In 2016, he left the company to pursue another marketing endeavor. Several years later, Blaylock was presented with an opportunity to rejoin Diageo, leading marketing for Casamigos Tequila. The possibility of this exciting leadership position arrived at the right time and appealed to the next step in his career momentum. Here, Blaylock talks about his current role, understanding audience behavior, and leveraging professional development opportunities.
What initially led to your job at Diageo? How did you know the company would be a good fit?
A former teammate of mine recommended me to her old boss, who was looking to build out her team at Diageo. I’d never heard of Diageo at the time, nor had I even thought of working in the spirits business. But once I learned more, I uncovered great brands, a strong sense of purpose, and a real chance to impact a business. The fact that I got an opportunity to learn from some great people and have a little fun along the way didn’t hurt! At the time, I didn’t realize how fun the industry was or anticipate the great relationships that I would eventually build.
What are you responsible for in your current role as the Vice President of Marketing for Casamigos Tequila? Why does this work excite or inspire you?
Help grow it—plain and simple. As a team, our mission is clear: establish a growth trajectory in the competitive tequila market. What excites me most is operating at the intersection of strategy, creativity, and execution—three elements that must work seamlessly together. It’s a tough challenge, but I love the opportunity to drive brand turnarounds and accelerations. For context, I’m the kind of person who ran a marathon simply because I told myself I could!
After your first stint at Diageo, you left the company for several years. Why did you feel compelled to return to Diageo? How has the company welcomed you back?
While discussing my career journey, I always get questions about the most memorable roles I’ve had or projects I’ve worked on, and my answers always involve my first stint at Diageo. I built strong relationships, and we delivered some very impactful results. I grew, and we had a lot of fun while doing it. So when this opportunity came up, it just felt right.
Now that I’m back, it feels like I never left. It was a very welcoming reunion, connecting with people both old and new before getting to work.
You started your career in marketing as a media planner, and now, after a long and fruitful career, you’re a marketing VP with Diageo. How have you grown or evolved over the years? How has Diageo supported your career growth?
When I look at my career, I think of the building blocks and phases. When I first came to Diageo, I had a lot of experience connecting brand messages to consumers through advertising, leveraging partnerships, and highlighting cultural events. Diageo taught me to think about the business as an enterprise leader, from product development to driving competitive advantages. In between my stints with Diageo, I grew as a people leader. The last six years have been about leading through corporate strategy shifts, supply disruptions, and reorganizations while showing up as a better leader every day.
What learning and development opportunities are available at Diageo to help employees grow and succeed?
This is one of the areas that has evolved since my first stint. So many on-demand resources are available with the My Learning Hub. Topics like finance capabilities and situational leadership are helpful for people trying to gain knowledge. There’s also on-the-job training with formal secondments. They are designed to help people stretch and gain different experiences. It’s a formal process, different from what I’ve experienced elsewhere. Finally, I’m a big fan of the tuition reimbursement benefit; it’s a very valuable tool for growth and development.
You’ve earned additional degrees and certifications a couple of times throughout your career. How did this experience help you grow professionally and personally, and how have you applied this newfound knowledge and expertise to your current role at Diageo?
As part of my growth mindset, I leveraged each to help me round out my skills and keep me sharp. I was intentional about the decision when to engage in formal training. I recognized how the landscape was changing and transitioning to digital marketing. So, the formal training helped me quickly adapt to the environment when digital was driving the strategy. The decision to attend business school was about growing my leadership, strategy, and operational excellence. With that understanding, I focus on how my role impacts the supply chain, or how it can make the operations more effective. While back at Diageo, I’m bringing that mindset to marketing. I believe that marketing needs to play a central and holistic role at the center of strategy, creativity, and commercial success.
What is your leadership style like? How do you think it’s helped you succeed in your career?
I would describe my leadership style as a player-coach. However, I think the technical term is “situational leadership,” which is about adapting to the team’s needs. It’s probably the most important style when working in matrix organizations or complex business environments. For example, knowing when to decide and stop the swirl, when to bring people along the journey, or even delegating to help teammates develop. With that said, you have to know your people and be able to “read the room” to be successful with this style.
What advice do you have for someone just starting or hoping to start a career in sales and marketing? How can they put their best foot forward and start on a growth trajectory similar to yours?
It’s important to remember that everyone’s journey will be different. Focus on your impact and fill your cup with experiences and functional expertise to set yourself up for success. Remember to stay curious about the bigger picture. I advise gaining as much understanding and exposure as possible to the entire business’s operations. It will help you understand how it all works and how to be more effective in the organization. Once you understand the broader picture, prioritize the experiences over obsessing over titles. The experiences and knowledge you accumulate will position you for a successful career. Lastly, nobody will or should care more about your career than you do. Many people will play significant roles, but at the end of the day, you have to own it.
You’re hosting a dinner party with some of your favorite fictional characters. Who do you invite? What’s on the menu? And what is the main topic of conversation?
I would invite Xavier Collins (Paradise), Olivia Pope (Scandal), and Morgan Gillory (High Potential). The menu would be margs and margs (margherita pizzas and Casamigos margaritas), and we would be deep in solving some major mystery or problem.
