The Absolut Spirits Company Inc. is helping consumers prepare for November elections.
The Stockholm-based international liquor distributor recently opened nominations for consumers’ 100 Absolutes at www.absolut.com/100absolutes. The 60-day nomination round ends Oct. 31. Short lists in each category such as the absolute joke, the absolute rock star and the absolute haircut will be chosen by the company and voted on by consumers in November.
“This is the first brand campaign in some time, and it’s really reinforcing what absolute is to our users,” said Patric Blixt, manager of global new media in the global brand communication department at V&S Absolut Spirits. “It’s about finding out ‘What does absolute mean for them?'”
The Absolut Company, a business area within V&S Vin & Sprit AB, is available in 125 markets. The target audience is ages 25-35, affluent and sophisticated. Absolut aims to reach influencers first, those who are actively engaged with the brand, by targeting the niche Web sites and blogs that deal with the various absolute topics that are on the contest site.
“We always have a very integrated approach to campaigns,” Mr. Blixt said.
The campaign is running print and out-of-home ads and will begin television spots later this fall, all to drive traffic to the Web site and reinforce the brand message.
“The new media that we are working with now allow us to have a dialogue with consumers and for them to have a dialogue with each other,” said Magnus Walsten, account director and partner at Absolut interactive agency Great Works, Stockholm. “As a marketing strategy it is a pretty good one. We want to make sure that we are getting consumers to give their opinion.”
