Around the Net

Absolut's Sales Surge After It Kills Iconic Ads

  • Ad Age, Tuesday, February 19, 2008 10:45 AM
After trading in the legendary print ads that were synonymous with its brand for decades, Absolut has seen global case shipments jump 9% and has gained market share in the increasingly competitive U.S. market. The Swedish vodka brand adopted a global multimedia approach last year around the theme, "It's an Absolut world."

Spots on cable TV--the brand's first major push into the medium--depicted police fending off pillow-wielding rioters in an "Absolut World." Print ads showed Times Square filled with priceless artwork and pregnant men. Tourists driving toward the Las Vegas strip last fall saw the Luxor casino's pyramid wrapped with a message: "Welcome to Vegas. You are now in an Absolut World."

Absolut's prior sluggishness was partially a result of an ad campaign that had fallen out of step with the vodka's place in the market, executives say. Even so, Absolut was reluctant to end one of the most celebrated campaigns in the history of alcohol marketing, no matter how irrelevant it had become.

advertisement

advertisement

Read the whole story at Ad Age »

Next story loading loading..