The Reinvention Of Absolut

Absolut vodka has been around since the late nineteenth century, but the Absolut most of us know was propelled to fame by their iconic campaign with ad agency TBWA, which ran for a mind-boggling 25 years. If you were around in the ’80s and ’90s, chances are you saw the ads somewhere – plastered on a billboard, stamped on the back of a magazine.

Absolut was cool. U.S. sales jumped from 10,000 cases sold in 1980, to 4.5 million cases sold in 2000.

While vodka still owns roughly a quarter of spirits sales by volume in the U.S., growth has been stagnate for almost half a decade. Whiskey has now replaced vodka as the fastest growing spirit category. Why? Because it’s become completely passé to drink vodka.

Not only that, but part of the appeal of the craft whiskey movement is the story behind the whiskey. You know how it goes: our distillery, built on a hundred year old farm, takes the finest corn and wheat and uses a century-old family recipe to produce the finest bourbon in all the land. These stories of so-called craftsmanship convey value that a club goer wouldn’t care about, but that a modern day, hip, self-aware drinker will.

So where does Absolut find itself amidst this craft whiskey fever? It seems that they’ve seized upon this trend of “uncool” coolness. With the launch of their new vodka, Elyx, Absolut isn’t choosing to go after Goose or other vodka brands, they’re courting whiskey drinkers.

Source: The Reinvention Of Absolut: How To Sell Luxury Vodka From The '80s In A Craft World | VinePair

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