Absolut Vodka is a
Swedish brand of
vodka, which is instantly recognizable due to its highly effective
advertising.
Absolut is now the 5th most popular brand of
spirits worldwide. Next to the plain Absolut brand, it is also available as
Absolut Kurant,
Absolut Mandrin,
Absolut Peppar and
Absolut Citron.
The
Absolut brand originated in
Sweden in the
19th century. It is still
distilled in
Ahus,
Sweden. It took until 1979 for the first bottle of Absolut to be exported to the
US.
The original idea for the clear bottle and clear label came from Swedish
advertising executive
Gunnar Broman, who was inspired by the traditional clear bottles of Aquae Vitae. Initially, the Americans were unimpressed with the
design, because they felt it looked like
medicine.
Two years after its
lackluster debut in America,
Absolut switched to a different advertising agency (TBWA Worldwide, now
TBWA Chiat/Day).
Andy Warhol agreed to paint a picture of the
Absolut bottle. Sales quintupled after the "
Absolut Warhol" ad campaign in 1981.
Since
Warhol, the
advertising for
Absolut has been consistently
refreshing and
artistic. The brand has worked with such artists as
Keith Haring,
Helmut Newton,
Tom Ford,
Gianni Versace,
John Galliano and
Helmut Lang.
Regardless of all this artsy-fartsy stuff, Absolut Vodka is also one of the best brands of liver-destroyers on Earth, mixable, drinkable, and just plain good stuff.