Absolut smackdown

You mean to say that all of those Absolut print ads over the years weren't enough to effectively brand the vodka? It seems a logical conclusion after reading this item in Keith Kelly's New York Post column alleging that the abrupt shutdown of the U.S. version of Absolute Magazine was brought about, in part, by the "financial burden" of ongoing litigation between the magazine's publisher and V&S Vin & Spirit, which makes Absolut. The liquor company was trying to make a case for trademark infringement, and also raised concern that its own trade magazine, Absolut Reflexions, made the confusion even worse. OK, both magazine and liquor are targeted toward upscale consumers, but we thought it had been drummed into our heads years ago that Absolut, the vodka, had no "e"—and that the "t" was silent. After all, there are only 1172 print ads in Absolut's online gallery. If someone is still really confused about how to spell Absolut, then they just haven't been paying attention. (BTW, you may want to check absolutkravitz.com, a collaboration between Lenny Kravitz and Absolut. Despite the diatribe above, it's still great that Absolut, by and large, supports people in the creative world.)

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

March 3, 2006 in Absolut | Permalink