Absolut Vodka

Absolut Vodka
Type Vodka
Manufacturer V&S Group (Pernod Ricard)
Country of origin Sweden Åhus, Sweden
Introduced 1879
Proof (US) 80 - 100
Related products List of vodkas
Website absolut.com

Absolut Vodka is a brand of vodka, produced near Åhus, in southern Sweden. Absolut is owned by French group Pernod Ricard; it bought Absolut for €5.63 billion in 2008 from the Swedish state. Absolut is the third largest brand of alcoholic spirits in the world after Bacardi and Smirnoff, and is sold in 126 countries. Absolut Vodka is distilled from wheat grown in southern Sweden.


History

The Absolut Company Factory in Åhus, Sweden

Absolut was established in 1879 by Lars Olsson Smith and is produced in Åhus, Sweden.[1] Smith challenged the city of Stockholm's liquor marketing monopoly with his vodka. It was sold just outside the city border at a lower price than the monopoly's product. Smith even offered free boat rides to the distillery and "Rent Brännvin" made Smith a fortune.[2]

Absolut Vodka bottles

In 1917, the Swedish government monopolized the country's alcohol industry. Vodka was then sold nationwide under the name "Absolut Rent Brännvin". The name changed with intervals, Absolut Rent Brännvin. In 1979, the old name Absolut was picked up when the upper-price range ABSOLUT VODKA was introduced. Renat is still a euphemism for spirits in Sweden, and the name of another vodka product by Vin & Sprit.[2]

A bar in Worthing, Barbados, in Absolut branding.

Absolut Vodka was introduced to the global market in 1979. Since its launch, Absolut has grown to sell over 90 million litres of vodka annually by 2008. The vodka is made from winter wheat. Approximately 80,000 metric tons (2,900,000 bushels) of wheat are used annually to produce Absolut Vodka. Over one kilogram of grain is used in every one-liter bottle.

Advertising

Absolut Vodka is known for its long-running advertising campaign created by TBWA for the Absolut's U.S. importer, Carillon Importers, Ltd.[3] The first of these ads, typical of the rest, was introduced in 1981 and featured a picture of the bottle with a halo over the cap above the slogan ABSOLUT PERFECTION. In 1983, Carillon's President/CEO Michel Roux approached the artist Andy Warhol, whom he paid $65,000 to create an advertisement for Absolut.[4] Over the years, Carillon commissioned the work of well-known painters, graphic designers, fashion designers, as well as many up-and-coming artists. During the 2017 Corporate Art Awards Ceremony hosted by the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinal Palace [5], Absolut received by pptArt a special award “for their long-running collaboration with 550 artists on 850 projects to shape their corporate image and brand” [6].

In 2007, Absolut began its "In An Absolut World" campaign in which the company posted various, often fanciful scenarios of what the target audience might think would constitute a perfect, or "Absolut", reality. In 2008, an advertisement placed in Mexican publications and on Mexican billboards featured a map of the U.S. and Mexico with the boundaries between the two as they were prior to the 1836 Texas Revolution and the Mexican–American War. Media outlets reported on some American consumers' reactions at the advert's perceived insensitivity to immigration issues.[7][8][9][10] Absolut responded that the adverts were purely whimsical, with no political or nationalist agenda, but its critics were adamant. Absolut later issued a public apology and withdrew the advert.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The story". absolutad.com.
  2. 1 2 "The story". Absolut. 2013-02-07. Retrieved 2013-02-07.
  3. ↑ Tungate, Mark (2007). ADLAND. Philadelphia: Kogan Page, Ltd. p. 133-134. ISBN 0 7494 4837 7.
  4. ↑ Lewis, Richard W. (1996). ABSOLUT BOOK. Boston: Journey Editions. p. 65. ISBN 1-885203-32-2.
  5. ↑ "Il Presidente Mattarella ha ricevuto i partecipanti al Convegno "Mecenati del XXI secolo"". 22 November 2017.
  6. ↑ "Corporate Art Awards - Corporate winners". 22 November 2017.
  7. ↑ "Mexico reconquers California? Absolut drinks to that!". latimes.com.
  8. ↑ "Tuesday Map: Absolut Reconquista". Foreign Policy.
  9. ↑ "ABSOLUT IDIOCY: RECONQUISTA VODKA". New York Post.
  10. ↑ "La reconquista mexicana de Absolut". LA VANGUARDIA. 7 April 2008.
  11. ↑ "A Vodka Tonic for Mexico's Loss?". TIME.com. 8 April 2008.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.