Absolut: ABSOLUT ILLUSION

Credits & Description:

Category: Alcoholic Drinks

Advertiser: THE ABSOLUT COMPANY

Product/Service: ABSOLUT VODKA

Agency: FAMILY BUSINESS

Creative Director: John Lagerqvist/Mårten Knutsson (Family Business)

Art Director/Senior Designer: Fredrik Lindquist (Family Business)

Designer: Magnus Lundgren (Family Business)

Copywriter: Tove Norström (Family Business)

Designer: Christian Styffe (Family Business)

Photographer: Alexander Crispin

Media placement: Bottle Design - Retail - 1 May 2011

Media placement: Example Of Activations/material - Retail - 1 May 2011



Describe the objective of the promotion.

For the spring of 2011 Absolut asked us to develop a volume driving campaign based around the bottle. The reason is that the actual product is the only piece Absolut, with certainty, can be sure to land in retailers on a global scale. It must be an activation by itself. We were also asked to develop a concept to be activated by local markets if they saw fit. Our deliverables were a bottle design and a deck with inspirational material for global activations for local implementation.

Restriction: Don't change the bottle, nor the printing technique...



Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation.

And the Absolut Illusion concept let us direct attention to content as illusions are revealed by looking beyond the surface.

We created a bottle that looked exactly as the original bottle when viewed from one exact vantage point. But changed appearance if you moved the slightest, thereby creating attention on a retail shelf. It looked 'right and wrong' at the same time. The concept was also easy to activate for a local market, using our visuals and inspirational ideas. In clubs, bars and retail world wide, Absolut Illusion became the season's highlight, because the bottle itself held the concept.



Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service.

Simple, amazing and fun are the key elements to a promotional bottle in retail. And this, we provided. In its simplicity retailers around the globe realised that they would sell a lot just by putting the bottle on display. The local markets in turn, realised that if they add our material, visuals and inspirational ideas, the success would be even bigger.



Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results.

The entire batch sold out. Some 780,000 bottles were sold in over 37 markets worldwide. Local markets activated it heavily with supporting materials and even today it generates some 3m Google hits, making it one of most successful campaigns for Absolut during this season in terms of Internet presence.