Imagining an inspirational ‘Absolut World’ is the theme of a new global brand campaign announced today. Only the second-ever campaign in the vodka brand’s 27-year history, it shifts focus away from the iconic Absolut bottle that’s been the star until now.
‘With this campaign, Absolut Vodka wants to be a conversation starter for both universal and everyday subjects, as well as to challenge consumers to express their own visions of the world,’ explains Ketil Eriksen, president, V&S Absolut Spirits. ‘In the 1980s, we were pioneers in our field when we integrated art and fashion with advertising. Our new campaign, ‘In an Absolut World,’ is expanding boundaries once again.’
The brand’s whimsical imaginings include a world where the moon turns into a disco ball at night, men can have babies, there’s no global warming and the billboards in New York’s Times Square feature fine art. Varying TV and print executions of these notions were developed by Absolut’s worldwide AOR, TBWAChiatDay.
In Canada, where media buys are being handled by Toronto’s OMD Canada, there’s another element: a faux newspaper dubbed The World, which contains such good-news stories as the launch of a zero-emission aircraft and mandated shorter work weeks. The free handout is being distributed at about 20 ‘VIP’ sampling events at popular nightclubs in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver until the end of November, Absolut Canadian brand manager Ginny Homewood tells MiC. ‘But the twist,’ she says, ‘is that randomly chosen patrons at the events are being treated as VIPs.’
Television spots are appearing in Canada, mostly on specialty channels. Print ads have been placed in various liquor trade magazines, including a double-page spread in the LCBO’s current Food & Drink magazine and in Montreal’s comparable Cellier publication.
Additionally, as part of its global campaign, Absolut is turning its website into an ‘inspirational community’ where online users from around the world can share and discuss their visions of an Absolut world by creating and uploading images, films, words and sounds, posting personal profiles and joining in a global conversation.
