Absolut Marketing Up To Mischief Again With Latest Ad Campaign

Check this out press release yesterday on Yahoo Business ...

In an ABSOLUT World All Men Are Created 'Equal' and Gay Marriage Is a Celebrated Reality

Monday April 7, 9:00 am ET

World's Most Iconic Vodka Unveils First-Ever Gay and Lesbian Creative as Part of its 'In An ABSOLUT World' Campaign

NEW YORK, April 7, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- With its tongue planted firmly in its cheek, ABSOLUT® VODKA, the world's most iconic vodka, unveils its first-ever LGBT-specific creative stemming from its 'In An ABSOLUT World' campaign. Embracing both the humorous and socially conscious, ABSOLUT challenges the status quo by presenting a bold and optimistic worldview that speaks directly to gay men and women. The campaign visually answers the questions "what if everything in the world were approached with the same ideals that ABSOLUT approaches vodka?"

The brand's two new, daring print ad executions include: "Ruler," a humorous look at gay men and their fascination with perfect, eight-inch "member" measurements, while "Stadium" engages on the issue of gay marriage when one half of a gay couple "pops" the question during a sports outing. Created by SPI Marketing/Moon City in New York, these new lifestyle-driven ads build on a heritage of advertisements that prominently featured gay artists since 1984.

"As a long-time supporter of the gay and lesbian community, we acknowledge that you can't simply speak to gay men and lesbians as consumers, but instead need to make real connections to their lives which we believe we are achieving with our new creative executions," said Jeffrey Moran, ABSOLUT® spokesperson. "As a company, we respect gay men and lesbians not simply in advertising messages, but behind the scenes as well. We're not gay-washing here."

The preferred brand of vodka for gay and lesbian consumers, ABSOLUT® was one of the first major brands to place an ad in a gay magazine 27 years ago and is a long-time supporter of events and causes important to the gay and lesbian community. The brand will continue its place in gay and lesbian print publications with new creative, tailored to this target audience, and move beyond to www.absolut.com where visionaries and online users from around the world are encouraged to share and discuss their visions of an Absolut world.

John Nash, President of Moon City, the agency responsible for the execution of the new gay ads explains, "These two new visions bring a perspective to the 'In An ABSOLUT World' campaign that was inspired by a gay point of view, but can easily be appreciated by many people. Gay men and women have long felt connected to the artistic legacy of the brand and these new ads leverage that connection by making the brand relevant in a smart, personal way for gay men and lesbians today."

The gay-specific "In An ABSOLUT World" advertisements will begin appearing in local and national LGBT media in late March.

For more information on ABSOLUT, please visit www.absolut.com

For more information about SPI Marketing, LLC, please visit www.spimarketing.com

For more information about Moon City Productions, please visit www.visitmooncity.com

About The Absolut Spirits Company, Inc.

The Absolut Spirits Company, Inc., headquartered in New York, is a subsidiary of V&S Group and operates under the auspices of V&S Absolut Spirits in Stockholm, which produces and markets ABSOLUT® VODKA, ABSOLUT CUT(tm), Level (tm) Vodka, FRIS® Vodka , Plymouth(tm) Gin and Cruzan® Rum. The Absolut Spirits Company, Inc. imports ABSOLUT VODKA, Level Vodka, Plymouth Gin and Cruzan Rum in the US and distributes the brands through FutureBrands LLC, a joint venture with Beam Global Spirits and Wine.

About SPI Marketing and Moon City Productions

Headquartered in New York, SPI Marketing LLC and Moon City Productions enjoy a strategic partnership that provides representation for numerous leading brands in the gay and lesbian consumer market. The unified efforts of SPI Marketing and Moon City offers clients a one-stop shop for advertising creative, experiential marketing, market research, public relations, event execution and strategic communications outreach in the gay and lesbian community. With over three decades of combined experience and a national presence, SPI Marketing and Moon City are two of the premier agencies when it comes to connecting with gay men and lesbians.

After Absolut Vodka's marketing mishap with Mexico and the American Southwest, let's see how this latest venture goes. What will they think of next?