Leaving behind their iconic ads that combined cultural icons, landmarks and trends with their bottle, Absolut is set to spend $20 million on a new ad campaign that takes the company in a totally new direction. Having historically concentrated solely on print, the new campaign by TBWA/Chiat/Day in New York also pushes the brand to TV as "The Absolut Vodka," continuing to play with the product’s name.
This new ad campaign is in response to a decline in Absolut’s growth rate and targets a burgeoning new generation of vodka drinkers. Featuring such images as CBGB as "The Absolute Rock Club" and a scene from the movie Office Space as "The Absolute Worst Case of the Mondays," the ads speak to a new set of potential consumers in an entirely new way.
Perhaps there is a lesson here for marketers of all kinds: the old adage "if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it" may not apply to your advertising campaign. It just may pay to shake up your potential customers with something new — they may just well pay attention.
