A Brand as Storyteller

ABSOLUT is part iconic brand, part master storyteller.

Think about it. For decades, ABSOLUT managed to tell countless memorable stories with just one bottle and a two-word headline. The campaign won every industry award and filled a 100 page+ book.

A while ago, though, the bottle campaign that put them on the map was layed to rest, and the brand struggled to reinvent itself and find its place on a top shelf crowded with super-premium, vanity vodka brands.

Art, music and fashion had always been the brand pillars upon which they told their magnificent stories. But when French conglomerate, Pernod Ricard, purchased them in 2008 no one really knew what the next chapter would be for world’s FIRST premium vodka.

It’s now 2010, and the state of the global economy has put a damper on the party. Companies in every industry have shifted their messaging to focus on value and price. And luxury brands have lost their Teflon coating.

So what’s a vodka brand to do?

Well, I’m happy to share that ABSOLUT has gone back to telling great stories. This time using digital and social media to create a format unrestricted by the dimensions of a magazine’s back cover or the run time of a late-night TV spot…

In this stunning 15 minute black-and white documentary, directed by legendary rock n’ roll photographer, Danny Clinch, ABSOLUT tells the story of Jay-Z and the city (NYC) that inspires his creativity.

So what does this have to do with vodka, you may ask…

Well, at first glance… nothing. But somewhere along the way, a simple product became a powerful storyteller. And if in this media-saturated world in which we live, a brand can capture your attention, engage your curiosity and inspire your own creativity, well, that’s one brand someone might just be inclined to ask for by name.

A toast to ABSOLUT and its newest muse, Jay-Z. Skål.