Absolut Vodka is out with a major new global campaign.
The ad campaign titled, In an Absolut World, is being supported by a
full roster of marketing, including print, broadcast, out-of-home, PR, on-premise promotions and viral components.
The campaign marks the second time in 15 months the brand has changed marketing direction, The New York Times reported Friday. “The Absolut Vodka” campaign, introduced in January 2006, will be retired this week, the report said.
Under the new campaign, estimated at $33 million to $35 million, the first TV spot breaks the week of May 15. Titled “Protest,” the ad, filmed in Uruguay, opens with a tense standoff between protesters and police. As the clash ensues, the viewers witness a massive, friendly pillow fight — demonstrating an alternate way to resolve conflicts, said TBWA/Chiat/Day/New York, which created the campaign and has worked for Absolut for 26 years.
Print ads begin in June showing a photo of Times Square with iconic works of art installed in place of ads. Other print ads include a factory emitting harmless bubbles instead of smoke, a pregnant man with his wife at a cocktail party and a bar scene where people wear buttons labeling their dating status and mindset, the agency said.
“The new campaign visually answers the question: what if everything in
the world was a little bit more Absolut?“ said Rob Smiley, creative director at TBWA/Chiat/Day/New York. “It’s not necessarily about perfection, but about making the world better by seeing it with fresh eyes.”
A social responsibility spot titled, “Taxi,” show a young couple leaving a club. As they press the key fob, instead of unlocking their car it signals a taxi, suggesting that in an “Absolut world” people would always call a cab or use a designated driver after they drink, the agency said.
A guerrilla effort starts May 14 in New York City that will include rickshaw rides in Soho and the Meatpacking District, music downloads in Union Square, Metro Card giveaways and VIP treatment at select downtown restaurants and clubs, all compliments of Absolut.
“Our consumers are intelligent, and we hope they have a gut reaction that sparks conversations and challenges them to think about their vision of an “Absolut World,” said Tim Murphy, senior brand director, The Absolut Spirits Co, in a statement.
This summer, out-of-home ads break in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Las Vegas and Chicago with creative relevant to those individual communities.
The global campaign will rolls out in 12 international markets this year, beginning with a TV spot in Germany on April 27.
Can this campaign match the excitement–and sales–generated by the popular bottle campaign Absolut ran in the 80s and 90s? Some of the better known ads featured “Abolut Warhol,” an Absolut bottle painted by Andy Warhol and another that looked like a Playboy Playmate.
Network
