There’s a serious kerfuffle in the Absolut brand thanks to a really bad marketing decision. It all centers on this advertisement:
These days, there is a substantial segment of America, perhaps a significant majority, for whom such imagery will be a cause for offense. This is now an official “crisis” and the mode of communication coming from the company should reflect that. Heck, Americans make up 40% of the market for their product. The folks at Absolut needed to take some serious steps to alleviate this situation. First, they needed to apologize profusely. Then they needed to find ways to make amends. There simply is no way to make this pig in a poke any more palatable. In this instance, with so much at stake, the only defense is surrender.
Instead, Absolut’s in-house shill machine went on the defensive.
In an ABSOLUT World according to Mexico
Posted Friday, April 04, 2008, 5:26:34 PM
The In An Absolut World advertising campaign invites consumers to visualize a world that appeals to them — one they feel may be more idealized or one that may be a bit “fantastic.” As such, the campaign will elicit varying opinions and points of view. We have a variety of executions running in countries worldwide, and each is germane to that country and that population.
This particular ad, which ran in Mexico, was based upon historical perspectives and was created with a Mexican sensibility. In no way was this meant to offend or disparage, nor does it advocate an altering of borders, nor does it lend support to any anti-American sentiment, nor does it reflect immigration issues. Instead, it hearkens to a time which the population of Mexico may feel was more ideal.
As a global company, we recognize that people in different parts of the world may lend different perspectives or interpret our ads in a different way than was intended in that market. Obviously, this ad was run in Mexico, and not the US — that ad might have been very different.
By Paula Eriksson, VP Corporate Communications, V&S Absolut Spirits
I have to make a stark example of this to show how foolish the strategy is. Here’s a different ad, and a rewritten response:
In an ABSOLUT World according to Germany
Posted Friday, April 04, 2008, 5:26:34 PM
The In An Absolut World advertising campaign invites consumers to visualize a world that appeals to them — one they feel may be more idealized or one that may be a bit “fantastic.” As such, the campaign will elicit varying opinions and points of view. We have a variety of executions running in countries worldwide, and each is germane to that country and that population.
This particular ad, which ran in Germany, was based upon historical perspectives and was created with a German sensibility. In no way was this meant to offend or disparage, nor does it advocate for the master race, nor does it lend support to any anti-allied sentiment, nor does it reflect Fascist ideals. Instead, it hearkens to a time which the more nostalgic, elder population of Germany may feel was more ideal.
As a global company, we recognize that people in different parts of the world may lend different perspectives or interpret our ads in a different way than was intended in that market. Obviously, this ad was run in Germany, and not any nation decimated by Nazi aggression – those ads might have been very different.
By Paula Eriksson, soon to be former VP Corporate Communications, V&S Absolut Spirits
Indeed. This is a market-share killing event, and they’re treating it like somebody made a typo or grammatical error. Such are the sensibilities of ostriches.
This is the only reasonable response:
Man, did we screw up!
Posted Friday, April 04, 2008, 5:26:34 PM
Sometimes, there just isn’t any excuse for mistakes we make. There is only an opportunity to apologize sincerely.
The In An Absolut World advertising campaign invites consumers to visualize a world that appeals to them — one they feel may be more idealized or one that may be a bit “fantastic.” We obviously didn’t properly vet or think through our most recent marketing effort in Mexico, which depicted the ideal Mexican nation as being one with borders that encompassed several U.S. states.
Our allowing that advertisment to be distributed was, plainly, wrong. It will not happen again.
In light of this serious misstep, we have suspended the campaign, terminated contracts with the agency that produced it and are putting the account out to bid. First preference will be given to agencies based in the United States. Further, we are establishing scholarships at several U.S. universities for youth interested in majoring in U.S. History.
Again, we sincerely apologize for this terrible mistake and ask for forgiveness. We did not intend to offend the citizens of the nation that makes up our most important market, The United States of America.
By Paula Eriksson, VP Corporate Communications, V&S Absolut Spirits
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