It was the 1970s, and a pall of dullness had descended on the strong spirits market in Sweden. People suddenly began to go for low-intensity alcohol. Various campaigns by Vin & Sprit, the public company responsible for wine and spirit retail in Sweden, intended to give a boost to their strong spirits ended in utter fiasco. At dinner parties, festivals and marriage functions people were keen to keep their heads over what they drank. Wine became a safe alternative.
Cut to 1879.
Lars Olsson Smith was in the spirit business even when he was very young. His ambition was to produce a premium vodka that should be known for its purity. Defying the state monopoly on liquor, he refused to procure a licence and instead set up his business on an island to which he would offer his customers free rides - a clever strategy at that time.
His product, 'Absolut Rent Brannvin' (which means absolutely pure vodka) slowly began to win hearts. To ensure purity, he insisted on distilling his spirit five times. But L.O. Smith, who flagged off the course of this legendary spirit, died in penury, which is another story you'll hear some other day.
So when crisis struck the strong spirit market of Sweden in the 1970s, Lars Lindmark, the CEO at Vin & Sprit didn't look any further than Absolute Vodka as the saviour. If it cannot pull it through, what else could, he reasoned.
Lindmark also knew that a resurrection would be possible only if Absolut could win hearts across the Atlantic. In the US, vodka was still a cherished drink. It was now crucial to finetune the marketing strategies before they went for the big kill.
Lindmark got in touch with Carlsson & Broman, the famous advertising agency, and with its legendary marketer Gunnar Broman he developed a concept for launching the premium vodka in the US. Broman zeroed in on a perfect container - a pharmacy bottle - in an antique shop in Sweden. Long ago vodka was sold as medicine, so the connection would work its magic in the US market if Absolut comes in such a bottle, he surmised. No garish colours or decorations on the bottle, the team decided, the transparent bottle should announce clearly the purity of what it holds.
Read more: The Tippling Point | The clarity of vodka
Moreover, everything on the bottle should point to its rich heritage and traditions - the name coming at the top followed by text detailing the history and a portrait of L.O. Smith embossed as a silver seal.
Absolut Vodka was launched in New Orleans in the spring of 1979 at a trade fair. It got a shot in the arm when Andy Warhol, a legendary pop artist, took a liking to the simplistic design of the Swedish vodka bottle - he played a phenomenal role in making it a cultural icon in the US with his artworks. In his prolific career, Warhol created more than 50 different works around the bottle. Taking the cue, Absolut entered into collaborations with other contemporary artists to create a hitherto-unexplored and lasting bond between vodka and art.
Absolut's ad campaigns ran over 25 years, making the brand a huge success in not only the US but also the world over. Today Absolut Vodka, owned by Pernod Ricard, is the world's premium vodka and sixth-largest selling spirit brand.
Its journey to fame is a glorious chapter in any book of marketing and ad campaigns.
October 4 is International Vodka Day
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