Absolut Bus Stops

When I first saw this elaborate setup of a Chicago bus stop that was transformed into a small part of the Absolut universe I was amazed at the attention to detail it encompassed. Then I thought to myself, this would do well as a portfolio piece but not in real life situations. Chicago weather gets so cold and wet during the winter season that the Absolut bus stops would be ruined right after the first rain or snowfall.

The other question that came to mind is whether or not people would appreciate having something so eye-catching to sit on while waiting on their bus. It might make people feel awkward to sit at a bus stop like the ones pictured above. Therefore, this marketing attempt may result in an unwanted backlash towards the vodka brand. You should also know that the only thing already in place when the shelters were created was the ceiling. The seats, plants, and obviously the colors are all original.

From an advertising creative point of view the bus stops are works of art that people should and will admire. The ultimate question is will these creative attempts sell more Absolut vodka? Also, each one of the bus stops is named after an Absolut flavor. The ones shown above are: Absolut “Lemon Drop,” Twist” and “Bloody."

The agency behind this work is TBWA Chiat\Day, New York

This post is made possible thanks to Kiss My Black Ads.

Best,
-A.B.

An Absolut Short Film

Absolut joins the fun of branded entertainment with a short film “Lemon Drop” about 11 days ago I wrote a post on Rip Curl collaborating with Timeslice Films to create Matrix like effects with surfers. Well, I am here to tell you this movie doesn’t even come close to being as entertaining even though it was almost twice as long. There are major similarities between this short film and the awesome Quentin Terintino film “Kill Bill.”

First, the film starts with Lemon Drop, the films’ star waking up and discovering that her kittens have been kidnapped. Similarly, in Kill Bill Uma Thurman wakes up to discover her friends have betrayed her, and she has a daughter whom she has never seen.

Next, Lemon Drop finds a coat receipt on the floor of the pet store where her kittens were kidnapped. She then begins her journey to find her lost kittens just like Uma Thurman beginning a journey to hunt down the assassins who put her in a coma. But there were no awesome fight scenes in the Absolut short film.

Through the receipt Lemon Drop discovered she tracked down her antagonist singing at a popular nightclub. She goes to the club and has an Absolut Lemon Martini, of course while she waits for her suspect to get off the stage. He eventually comes over and begins making small talk. He challenges her to a tennis match at his home while she discovers her second clue (cat hair) on his sleeve.

They showed a scene with Lemon Drop driving to the tennis match exactly like when Uma Thurman was driving to the climactic battle in the movie. You know the one, where she fights several groups “bad guys.”

Suddenly, they switch gears and present the tennis match like the battle of the sexes with Billie Jean King and Bobby Rigs.

Finally, Lemon Drop wins the match, finds her kittens, and fights the antagonist known as Johnny Thunderbird to defeat the forces of evil or something like that. Thunderbird apparently wanted the kittens for their voice. He needed the voices so he can have the voice of an angel. It didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. They end the film with play on words for the tagline: “An Absolut Collaboration.”

The film had absolutely no excitement, no decent cinematography, and no real storyline. I mean, what do kittens have to do with vodka?

The ad agency behind this film is TBWA Chiat\Day, New York.

Best,
-A.B.

Absolut Hugs

Several months ago, on February 10^th to be exact I wrote about Absolut and how it became the first distilled spirits company to have a commercial appear on prime time CBS owned station. The above spot is another commercial in the “Absolut World” campaign. In an “Absolut World” hugs and kisses are the currency of choice traded for real world items. The spot above is the UK version of the ad.

To me, the spot seemed a bit “loving” which is not usually a word you would use to describe anything related to vodka. The song in the spot is “Money makes the World go Around” goes well with the spot. The creative idea is communicated very well through the images and the song in the background.

The spot actually made me feel good, is that weird or what?

Anyway, the ad agency is once again TBWA/Chiat/Day

Best,
A.B.

Absolut Security

I wanted to do a short posting before I went to bed for the night so that I could say I post everyday. The Absolut print ad above was one of my favorite wallpapers for my computer screen in college. Not to Mentin Absolut advertising is what got me interested in advertising in the first place.

I believe the ad agency is TBWA Chiat/Day, New York.

Nest,
A.B.

Absolut Tolerant

On February 8th, a 30-second brand awareness spot for Absolut Vodka ran on prime time television. I believe it ran during the last half of the Grammy Awards. This marks the first time ever a distilled-spirits product has appeared on any CBS-owned TV station. Here is another sign of the changing times. A company like CBS that usually shunned distilled-spirits companies now accept them. I ask you is this due to the troubled economy?

The spot created by TBWA/Chiat/Day is titled “Hugs” the ad presents a universe where the sanctioned currency is kisses on the cheek. The spot ends with the campaigns' tag line "In an Absolut World." This is a significant change in the ad business and I think its for the better.

I have to say the spot isn't funny but it is eye catching and memorable because it is unusual for a distilled-spirits company to produce this type of commercial. Most liquor commercials give a public service announcement, for example the famous "please drink responsibly." The spot is memorable because of the high popularity that the brand has already established

I think this is a great step forward for the famous vodka maker. They have a strong promotional foundation due to their great print ads. Their print ads are what got me interested in advertising in the first place (Just an FYI).

NBC was the first to air liquor ads on its main station. Also, you can read the Brandweek article at your leisure.

Best,
A.B.