Hat tip to The Consumerist for pointing out this story:
The billboard and press campaign, created by advertising agency Teran\TBWA and now running in Mexico, is a colorful map depicting what the Americas might look like in an “Absolut” — i.e., perfect — world.
Contact information for Absolut:
Jeffrey Moran
Director of Public Relations and Events
The Absolut Spirits Company, Inc.
1370 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10019
Phone, direct: +1 212 641 87 20
E-mail: jeffrey.moran@absolut.com
Recommendation: After letting Mr. Moran know just how you feel about this ad campaign, we recommend boycotting all Absolut products. Ketel One and Svedka are both good replacements for regular Absolut (and higher on the point scale); Stoli is a good replacement if you prefer flavored vodkas.
April 16th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
I wrote those bastards at Absolut about this with the e-mail you listed in your article. Below is the response I got:
Thanks for writing, Josh. We are sorry we ran that advertisement in Mexico that, in hindsight, should not have been approved or distributed.
We have learned from this and are taking actions to improve our future marketing practices. It’s important to note that the ad was withdrawn on Friday, April 4, and will not be used in the future. We’re also taking several steps to improve our marketing efforts, including adjusting internal advertising approval processes for ads developed in local markets and enhancing our global marketing review board.
The way this Mexico ad was perceived was not at all consistent with our intent, and should have been evaluated from the perspective of global consumers, as opposed to focusing on the local market only. We’ll work to make sure future marketing efforts from ABSOLUT are reflective of our values and conscience.
We hope this sets the record straight.
If you want to continue the discussion and share your opinion with us and others, please go to our blog http://www.absolut.com/iaaw/blog
Again, our sincere apologies,
Jeffrey A. Moran
Corporate and Brand Communications
The Absolut Spirits Co., Inc.
401 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10016
CONTACT
email: jeffrey.moran@absolut.com
direct dial: +212.641.8720
main: +212.641.8700
fax: +212.641.8703