• by Tanya Gazdik , December 19, 2007

A new campaign for Absolut Pears vodka will run on 10,000 screens nationwide--not on televisions, but on jukeboxes.

Absolut is pairing with TouchTunes Corp. for the first time to put the full-screen billboard ads on TouchTunes music systems in bars, restaurants, retailers and other businesses.

Creative for the campaign will include two alternating billboards that will be interspersed throughout the user experience. The ad is shown for up to 5 seconds at the end of a session (after a customer has made selections on the jukebox).

In addition, the campaign will have a special interactive element that will encourage users to participate in an Absolut Pears-branded survey at the end of the session. Questions from the survey were designed to provide insight into consumer preferences and gauge brand awareness for the flavored vodka.

One ad features a bottle of the vivid green-colored Absolut Pears next to a mixed drink. In the signature quirkiness style of Absolut, also shown is a snake the same color as the alcohol with the outline of a pear protruding from its midsection. The copy reads: "Discover more cocktails on AbsolutDrinks.com."

The campaign, which will run from Thursday to Jan. 4, also includes an optional six-question survey that customers can complete. "The questions are meant to gather pertinent information on drinking habits, ad recall and other items of interest to Absolut," said a spokesman for TouchTunes. They include: "How often do you drink vodka?" and "How likely would you be to ask for Absolut Pears in a bar or buy it in a store?"

The unique delivery of the ads on location where the alcohol is served is meant to better reach a core demographic of 21- to-34-year olds, said Art Matin, TouchTunes CEO.

TouchTunes surveys have a proven track record for encouraging high levels of participation and gathering valuable information. TouchTunes recently released the results of its 2007 Holiday Survey, which garnered nearly 85,000 responses in a short period of time.

"We are excited to be working with TouchTunes," said Ian Crystal, Absolut Vodka brand director, in a statement. "TouchTunes can deliver our message in a casual, fun environment directly at the point of purchase. Their ability to engage customers and inspire interaction with the messages--combined with their data-tracking and reporting capability--offers us a tremendous opportunity to reach our audience effectively."