Concept

To help Absolut turn iconic advertising into increased sales, we created a new communications platform for the brand. Activated in on and off trade, the global toolkit positioned Absolut as an essential part of social occasions – providing consumers with reasons to purchase the brand for at-home or in-bar consumption with friends.

We identified that Absolut didn’t always have a clear role for consumers. And so, we developed a visual idea which put the brand at the heart of these occasions, triggering warm memories of get togethers our audience have experienced.

This ‘Absolut Essential’ platform inspired them to choose Absolut over other drinks and positioned the brand as essential to any occasion.


Execution

With limited time to get consumers attention we knew our creative had to be simple and striking. We created two key visuals which focused on key social occasions: ‘pre-gaming’ (those ‘just before you head out’ drinks with friends), and the entertaining opportunity that is summer.

The eye-catching visuals literally put Absolut at the heart of the occasion. We turned the iconic Absolut bottle shape into associated items – a speaker for ‘pre-gaming’ and a flip flop for summer – showing Absolut as an essential part of the moment.

Each visual comprised of a small set-build, shot on high-res Hasselblad with a positional marker for the Absolut bottle, drinks were prepared by an Absolut mixologist and shot both in-situ and as back-plates.

From a styling point-of-view we wanted to achieve ‘believable imperfection’ and asymmetry for authenticity – blades of grass were ruffled, lemon pips positioned, and the odd drop or spillage were all carefully crafted.

The Absolut bottle in its various guises as a flip-flop and speaker were modelled against drawings, visual references and mood-boards detailing textures, materials and finishes by our in-house CGI team. Exact camera positions and light settings from the live-shoot were matched for a seamless composite – we then retouched the entire composite for final bedding-in and realism, making final art-work adjustments from match-prints.

These key visuals were designed to work across a broad media-mix from social posts all the way up to 48sheet OOH across numerous markets, and informed the global toolkits we created for market localisation and bespoke media placements, as well as inspiration for instore and off-trade activations, ensuring our new Absolut Essentials platform was cohesive across all media.