Absolut Marketing

                The Absolut Vodka’s long-running advertising campaign that began in the eighties proved itself to be effective in attracting an audience that would help the company both gain new buyers and sell more product. The campaign consists of many one page advertisements that contain several similar aspects, yet vary slightly. All of the ads are composed of a bottle of vodka, or something in the shape of a bottle, in the center of the page. Under the image are the words “Absolut ____”—the blank being filled with some word depending on the target audience of the ad. I have picked several Absolut advertisement to analyze and compare and contrast to one another in their marketing strategies.

                One advertisement depicts a bottle made out of lemon peels and reads “Absolut Appeal”. This particular ad is most likely targeting people who socialize when they drink. It is not only marketing the citrus flavor of the vodka, but also the status drinking it will give you. The advertisement is attempting to convince the audience that if a person drinks Absolut vodka, they will be appealing—which is a desirable quality for someone at a party.

          
       Another advertisement says “Absolut Vegas" and shows a bottle with a name tag stuck to it that says, “Hello, my name is Absolut.” This is one of several Absolut ads that use the name of a city or specific location. They are clearly marketing to the people in Vegas on vacation—or people that wish they were in Vegas on vacation. Absolut is using the connotations that come with “Vegas” to market the product as something fun and exciting.

                A third advertisement uses a picture of a topographical view of an island shaped like a bottle and reads “Absolut Paradise”. This ad is targeting an audience, similar to the previous ad, that either goes on vacation, or wish they went on vacation. The picture of the island and the use of the word “paradise” gives the advertisement a tropical, relaxed feel. It is hinting that Absolut vodka is a good drink to have while relaxing, or is a good way to relax.

                The three advertisements use the same basic structure and strategies to reach a wide variety of audiences; however, the differences are key. The second and third advertisements are similar in how they market Absolut vodka as a fun, relaxing drink due to the connection to vacations; however, the type of vacation and the type of people that those vacations are associated with are completely different. People that prefer to go to Vegas are typically different from those that prefer going to an island. By using the different locations, Absolut is targeting these two completely different audiences in the two separate ads. The first advertisement is very different from the other two. It could be targeting an audience that includes people from both audiences of the other two ads, and people that weren’t included in either of those groups. Overall, all three advertisements are very similar, yet have very distinct differences that differentiate which specific groups of people the marketers are trying to reach.

                The Absolut ads that I’ve looked at, based on their appeals, say a lot about food culture and values. In order to market effectively to mainly American consumers, Absolut takes a look at the culture of alcohol in the United States and integrates it into their advertisements. The first advertisement looks at the culture of alcohol in a social setting. People at parties want to be “appealing”, so Absolut uses this fact to market their product. The second advertisement uses the culture of Las Vegas to attract consumers. Las Vegas is thought of to be a crazy, fun, and exciting place. Known as “sin city”, alcohol is a huge part of the culture in Vegas; making it the perfect place to use to advertise vodka. The third advertisement draws on the correlation between relaxation and alcohol. American culture associates alcohol with vacationing and relaxation. By using the idea of “paradise” in their advertisement, Absolut effectively markets their product to people that identify with this culture.