5 minute read
Making a marketing masterpiece Absolut
MAKING A MARKETING MASTERPIECE
A unique product deserves exceptional marketing and since it was founded, ABSOLUT Vodka has been in a class of its own. Philip Yorke talked to Absolut’s vice-president of global marketing, Jonas Tahlin, about the launch of its ‘UNIQUE’ marketing campaign and its new luxury Vodka: ABSOLUT ELYX.
The Absolut Company of Sweden became a wholly owned subsidiary of the PernodRicard Group in 2008 and has the worldwide responsibility for the production, innovation and strategic marketing of Absolut Vodka, as well as for other major global brands such as Malibu, Kahlúa, Wyborowa, Luksusowa and Frïs. Absolut is the world’s fourth largest premium spirit brand and every bottle is produced at its state-of-the-art production facility in Ahus in southern Sweden.
The Pernod-Ricard group is one of the most successful drinks companies in the world and in 2012 generated sales of almost €5 billion.
Today Absolut employs over 300 people at its production plant in Ahus, with a further 150 engaged at its head office in Stockholm. The production statistics are staggering: every day more than 600,000 bottles of Absolut are produced and in 2011 more than 11 million 9 litre cases containing over 100 million litres of Absolut Vodka left the Ahus plant. The water used for the manufacture of ABSOLUT VODKA comes from northern Europe’s largest natural spring in Ahus and has filtered through the earth for more than 40,000 years.
In keeping with its long traditions and association with contemporary art, Absolut recently embarked upon a unique marketing challenge. The goal was to make a limited edition of nearly 4 million bottles, each a unique work of art. Every special bottle of ABSOLUT VODKA therefore had to be uniquely designed and numbered to make each one as individual as the customers that they serve. Not surprisingly this daring marketing campaign was called ‘ABSOLUT UNIQUE’. In order to achieve its objectives the company had to re-engineer its entire production line, which required a complex interaction between human and mechanical elements. Furthermore, a carefully orchestrated randomness had to be introduced to achieve the desired end result.
Splash guns and special colour-generating machines were set up, and complex coating, pattern and placement algorithms were programmed in to ensure that no two bottles would be alike. In total over forty different colours were used during manufacturing and this was in addition to 51pattern types applied to the bottles.
Mr Tahlin said, “The result was even better than we anticipated. When the bottles
first appeared on the conveyer belt, we all cheered. By that point the production line looked more like an artist’s studio than a bottle factory. These are truly striking bottles and everyone will find their own personal favourite. One of our main challenges however, is to stay ahead of the pack and contemporary art is deeply rooted in the very fabric of the brand and its identity.
“There is an old quote at Absolut that came to light a few years ago that somehow sums up the specialness and charisma of the brand. The Absolut brand was described as “unnecessary good’ when it was translated from Swedish, and this remains the essence of our product today. This is a brand that has a cause rather than a campaign strategy and everyone at Absolut has played their part in bringing this unique concept to fruition. In particular, the input from our glass company, Ardagh and that of our digital campaign assets created by Great Works, alongside our creative partner Family Business, all helped to make the impossible possible. Our previous limited editions have won several design awards including Eurobest and the Cannes Lion award and we are hopeful that this ‘UNIQUE’ launch will also be recognised for its creativity.”
Redefining luxury vodka
Another major marketing and production achievement in recent months has been Absolut’s development and launch of a brand new luxury Vodka that the company has called, “ ABSOLUT ELYX”. It is also a ‘first’ in many respects, and is born from a combination of hand-crafted and cutting-edge design to offer genuine quality substance with style. The bottle itself is a piece of pure artistic creativity and is adorned with real copper rods, thus bringing to life the purifying energy of the product’s copper distillation process. The company describes this exceptional vodka of unparalleled purity and texture as ‘liquid silk’.
Mr Tahlin added, “Contemporary art is the soul-mate of the Absolut brand, and our new luxury vodka is no exception with its multi-dimensional artistic presentation and style. ABSOLUT ELYX builds upon the considerable heritage of purity and quality that is synonymous with the Absolut brand and is now available worldwide since it was rolled out in March 2013”.
Absolut controls every step of the production of ABSOLUT ELYX, from seed to bottle and all is performed within a five-mile radius of the original Absolut distillery in Ahus.
Other unique attributes of the brand include the use of a single estate wheat delivered from Rabelof Castle in southern Sweden and its manual distillation to achieve an ultimate silky texture. In addition, it is distilled in a copper still dating from 1921 in order to remove any impurities and to enhance its perfect character. n
For further information about The Absolut Company and its unique spirits and production processes visit: www.absolut.com. For production pictures, visit: www.absolutfootage.com (photographs by Kasper Dudzik).
