AdFreak: Absolut

Absolut goes all out for unexceptional copy

So, Absolut vodka and TBWA\Chiat\Day in New York got some international folk artists to shelve their integrity long enough to physically build, word by word, Absolut's new theme line. Considering the time, money and effort involved, one would hope it would be a really catchy, inventive phrase, instead of a clunker like "Doing things differently leads to something exceptional," which reads like a motivational poster from sixth-grade homeroom. At the risk of sounding trite, this is Absolut crap.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Published on August 5, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (15)
Filed under Absolut, Alcohol, Arts, TBWA

Absolut, Red Sox getting ready for October

Just in time for Major League Baseball's postseason, Absolut is breaking an ad that shows a Red Sox fan moving into left field at Fenway Park. It's part of the vodka's "In an Absolut world" campaign, and for Yankees fans everywhere (and me personally), it's the sorry end to a sad season. Not only will my beloved Pinstripes almost certainly miss the playoffs for the first time since Robinson Cano was in grade school, but I never got a callback in my quest to portray Sox mascot Wally. (I can root for one team and get paid by another—what's so wrong with that? Pete Rose did it!) Even worse, before the season began, I maligned ad campaigns from the Blue Jays, Twins and Rangers and talked up the Yanks on AdFreak. Now I've got to eat crow—and I dislike crow, unless it's seasoned just right and served with fava beans. OK, fine... chomp, chomp! I'm eating crow now! ... Ughhh, this tastes awful!

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 9, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Absolut, Gianatasio

Absolut wants everyone to be Kanye West

Absolut has landed none other than Kanye West to star in a mock infomercial for BeKanye, a tablet that (in an Absolut world) turns anyone and everyone who ingests it into him—giving them fame, fortune, luck with the ladies, and a license to call the president racist. Why West would want an army of himself running around outside his control is beyond us, and BeKanye’s Web site wasn’t much help. What it did mention, to our dismay, was the presence of “Kanye’s microscopic biogenetic materials” in this magical pill of his. We don’t like the sound of that.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Published on July 9, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (3)
Filed under Absolut, Kiefaber

Absolut ad redraws the U.S.-Mexico border

An Absolut ad from Mexico City that shows Mexico taking over a large portion of the United States? Oh, that’s not going to go over well up here. Not at all. And sure enough, it isn’t. “Absolut-ly outrageous,” says Jim Hoft of Gateway Pundit. “Absolut-ly insulting,” adds Brian Ledbetter. (At least they’re not so enraged that they forget to pun on the Absolut name.) Rather than complain, Patrick Ishmael over at The News Bucket whips up his own altered map, on which Absolut’s homeland of Sweden gets totally hosed by Finland. UPDATE: Under pressure, Absolut has now apologized for the ad.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on April 4, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (27)
Filed under Absolut, Controversy, Nudd

Male bonding and bouffants with Absolut

If it's true that Absolut commissioned this short film with only the caveat that it mention the product, then it’s amazing they got off so easy. Avant garde comedians Zach Galifianakis, Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim have churned out a nice bit of surrealist cinema with little more than wigs, wicker and a too-hot hot tub. You can already hear several of the one-liners catching on, but I think it’s hard to beat the ultimate product-placement setup line: “What is this, ice?” Hat tip to anniemal on Twitter.

—Posted by David Griner

Published on March 13, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Absolut, Griner

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

Published on March 3, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Absolut

Absolut upset

In a shocking upset, the print ad “Absolut Self-Control” has won the vodka’s best holiday ad contest. We say shocking because last time we checked in, that ad was in last place out of 11 candidates. Could be wrong, but it’s reasonable to speculate about ballot-box stuffing—maybe by the friends and relatives of the creative team that created the ad? (Whoops. Sorry to be so uncharitable. Was going to be nicer in 2006.)

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Published on January 4, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Absolut

Bah humbug! Absolut Scrooge in the lead

Just swung by the Absolut site to see how the voting was going in the vodka’s holiday contest to let people rate their favorite Absolut holidays ads, on a five-bottle scale. Way in the lead is “Absolut Scrooge” with 5043 bottles (what, exactly, does that say about the spirit of giving?), followed by “Absolut 24th” (in which a pile of gifts resemble an Absolut bottle) with 4266 and “Absolut Ritual” Christmas lights in the shape of the bottle) with 3828. “Absolut Self-Control” is in 11th (also known as last) place with a measly 320 bottles.

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Published on December 14, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Absolut

A stocking full of Absolut holiday ads

It’s Friday afternoon, and we’re turning our attention to alcohol. We always enjoyed the “Absolut Scrooge” holiday ad, but there are plenty of other Absolut holiday executions. You can vote on your favorite one at Absolut.com. (Once you’re on the site, click on the ice-room image at the top of the screen.) OK, “Absolut Stirring” is pretty good, too. You can also send images of the ads as greeting cards to friends; and doing so gives you the chance to win a trip to the Absolut Ice Hotel in Sweden. This is something old Fezziwig could really get into.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on December 2, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Absolut

"Find the flavor" tag is Absolut Deja Vu

Absolut is inviting imbibers to try different vodka flavors in its latest print campaign promoting the brand's seven varieties, including Apeach and Vanilia, according to a story in the ad column of yesterday's New York Times. After reading the story, I paused, thinking that the campaign's "whimsical" tagline, "Find your flavour" had a familiar ring to it. Sure enough, Modernista! used the same line, albeit spelling flavor without the 'u', in a 2002 print campaign for Veryfine's Fruit20 flavored water (if you don't have access to the Adweek archive, you'll just have to trust me). Those ads featured models in funky bathing suits frolicking underwater. Veryfine no longer uses the tagline. The Absolut work, via TBWA\Chiat\Day, can be viewed at left, and on the company's Web site. Now how about finding an original tagline?

—Posted by Lisa van der Pool

Published on June 16, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Absolut