Bizarre News
By M&C Bizarre Apr 5, 2008, 5:55 GMT
Absolut Vodka's ad guaranteed to cause boycott
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Older Talkback
It is pathetic that right wing hard line anti-Hispanic folk are getting all out of shape about an ad. Pathetic. If one has the balls to proudly put slave owners in ads, and other United States born individuals that had a hand in violent colonialism and imperialism, then you can tolerate an ad that is a mere amusing aside.
It also shows you how buried in baloney most people are in the States: a hugely important NATO summit has occured this week, their president is about to plunge this country into another war (whilst two are still raging!) and here they are flipping out over some stupid ad. We deserve to lose if these are our priorities.
Sadly, most 'Mexicans' either forgot or are totally ignorant of their history. Mexico went to war against the States and was soundly defeated. How they can make claims that the United States 'Stole' 'their' land is ridiculous. I do not agree with everything this country has done, but truly, if you do agree with EVERYTHING your native land has done, then your blind. Man is flawed and will do things for his own self interest. Why the United States should be held under some heavier burden is hypocritical and unrealistic. If people like Desi want to talk about Colonialism and Enslavement as though Mexico never had any part of it, then pick up a history book. Let us not forget how Mexico was settled by the imperialist spaniards, the French and oh, let's not forget about the thousands of innocents that were burned in the Mexican Inquisition.
You want to be devisive? Fine. This ad is anti-American. Period. And who do you think freed the slaves? It was the Whites! Nobody had ever freed slaves before.
I was once an Absolute girl ... not any longer.
Absolute will absolutely never touch these lips again.
I will raise a glass of Absolut to you as my countrymen and women reclaim our land by stealth! WTF? I drink Tequila not that pussy juice!!!!! But we're still coming to reclaim our lands, even if we are dirty and drunk.
The Swedes deserve all the fallout-for hiring a 'Latino' marketing company to pander to Mexican false pride. Just like the South in the Civil War, the Mexicans lost their war too, get over it.
Maybe this will spark a resurgence in Kentucky Bourbons and Scots Whisky as a natural reflex to this stupid ad.
Branding 101, don't anger your biggest market by pandering with an ill-advised ad in a Global economy.
It's a shame that Americans always find offense with someone or something and you never hear them say thank you enough for the freedoms they enjoy for soldiers dying in wars. People wake up and stop becoming dsistracted by political nonsense. When it's all said and done you are here to live and die and then we all will be judged by another standard much greater than any country can imagine. Stop telling others what to think, act, do, or say because it's not your place. The country is not owned by anyone because we are all here temporarily.
It would be very ironic if a lot of people switched from vodka to tequila!
What I don't understand is why Absolut would insult their top market in favor of a very small one . . .
And to 'Oh Yes, Mr. Americano', it is more likely that we invade Mexico and make all Mexicans United States citizens rather than ceding land to Mexico.
And I wouldn't call the most un-educated of Mexico coming to America to scrub our ddokie out of our toilets 'reclaiming your lands'. All you've reclaimed is the parking lots of 'Home Depot'.
w00t!
Nobody said anything in the ad or anywhere else about the reclaiming of land or mentioned anything about anti-Americanism. It was just an ad trying to tap into a very lucrative market by tugging at the heart and pride of many knowledgeable Latinos. Deny it or not it IS a lucrative market; we drink a LOT and not just tequila.
Articles like these will make it an issue by interpreting the ads for those of you who cannot think independently on your own. ABSOLUT is known for extreme, funky and racially diverse campaigns, look in any old copy of Rolling Stones. I feel embarrassed for true Americans who have to listen to those flaming this campaign.
As far as the type of you people who will stop drinking one of the best vodkas in the world (there is not just one,) you really are just a mindless bunch and definitely not the majority. You are willing to give up one of the few things that you may enjoy due to an advertisement? Really? Seems to me only the bigots and ignorant are getting upset about the ads and probably can care less about the finer things in life.
I know my words here will get buried in a bunch of one-sided hate-filled comments but I urge you to please think sensibly and with thought, hell first have a shot of your favorite vodka (no matter what brand that may be,) take a deep breath and then write a sensible argument. Cheers and Salud!!
Absolut,
Reference the “Mexican Ad”;
• It doesn't matter if it used to be Mexican territory. It’s been a collection of American states for well over a century now.
• Would Absolut have dared run a similar ad in Greece, depicting much of modern-day Turkey as still within Greece's borders? The Turks would sure love that.
• Or how about a campaign in Russia, showing the old USSR borders intact? I'm sure Baltic countries and nations like Georgia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan would just love that.
• How about a German campaign showing Germany's borders to include all of Hitler's Fortress Europe?
Unless you insult other nations equally, than you are clearly hostile towards ONLY the USA and it’s not funny. So go ahead, let's see you prove to us that 'it's only a vodka ad' and run equally insulting and divisive ads other nations as previously mentioned. Go ahead, double dog dare you.
Bottom line, in the age of the Internet, there's no way to 'hide' an ad campaign from ANY audience. If you running a campaign insulting an entire nation, they're going to find out about it.
I will never use Absolut products again, and I've encouraged friends and family to take the same stance. I hope Abosolut's sales plunge to nothing in the United States. Try to make up for it in Mexico.
Pissed off in the USA
me thinks sensible Mexican works for Absolut in some capacity...or the marketing company..
Bitch please, we all know Absolut does 'edgy' ads, this one is flat insulting.
It's so interesting to read comments from Americans, and by the way I'm one also, who get offended by these slights. Some of these same people then turn around and decry how Israel annexed lands captured in war. Land that were theirs for thousands of years and to which they had always hoped to return, unlike San Antonio or Los Angeles for Americans.
Agree with Diego, Aron you realy need to read a book wrote by a non american 'Gringo', as we the 'mexicans' know you all, that land doesn't belong to us,,, by now and forever.
It is just an advertising, don't take it so hard and go to get your book...
Just as a comment, the States has not future as a Union, the history has something to say... nothing is forever, so lets forget all this and go to drink some vodka..
Isaac the mexican.
Defenders of this ad campaign are ignoring a pretty blatant mistake on the advertiser's part. Ads aren't meant to alienate a huge part of the market. As said above there are dozens if not hundreds of similar scenarios that would have been very similar.
North and South Ireland and Great Britain.
Old Europe and control of the colonies (The French would've liked this one
Texas used to take up the lands that are now Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and pieces of other states. If an 'ideal' Texas ad were run it would probably offend all the states involved considering they don't usually like to be associated with Texas.
I also don't think Tibetan monks drink a lot of vodka, but they might start if a Tibet free from China ad was running.
The obvious similarities with these ads is they promote one culture/territory while shunning another. People generally don't like to be on the short end of the stick, especially when they have some direct control, in this case boycotting the product.
Completely disregarding the racist BS thats been flamed in the comments this was a terrible ad campaign, especially since its alienating its current market for a new one (research shows its 10x more expensive to get a new customer than keep an old one). If I were Absolut I would do damage control as soon and drastically as possible. If they don't I predict this will be used as a textbook example of poor marketing for years to come.
I love it! This ad is absolutely hilarious! Just the sort of thing to make a bunch of jingoistic erasorheads puke.
wow!!!!! I think that is hilarious just a history lesson of our best times here in america!! you know i still dont understand why we just didnt take the rest of Mexico, I mean why stop there? plus the map is alittle off on the bottom remember most of the americas to center right bottom portion was owned by the french which we bought from napolean himself what a lovely deal it was!!! and don't forget alot more owned by our slave trading spanish! Did the native indians even know that the land they were on were owned by mexico, spain and the french, I don't know!! But all of that is racist!!!I don't care if that is factual histroy Its racist how could you Absolite!! HOW? i am suing you absolute for every bottle of vodka you have and to future produce!!! I am so ashamed of my self its so terrible!! boo hoo hooo!! get over it survival of the fittest, thank you Darwin!!! now where is my shot of absolute!!!
?I'm spent?
Too bad even for the Mexicans who want to 'reclaim' territory which wasn't ever truly theirs to begin with, that they couldnt even retake the land if it was only controlled by the Rhode Island Militia.
Mexico Declared war on the United States, not the other way around. To make it worse, they should have known they stood no chance at all in a war with us. They were using some ancient British muskets and were up against far superior artillery and rifles. 90% of the US casualties from the war ended up from Yellow Fever, it truly was an imbalanced war that the idiotic newbie government of Mexico could have avoided completely by not declaring war on the United States in the first place.
Well, who drinks more vodka?
The US overwhelming drinks more vodka than Mehico so they didn't think that there would be any fallout did they?
In addition to boycotting their vodka I am also boycotting mexican beers and with summer coming up that'll be a bummer. I can do it though.
We won the war you lost the land and even my gardner and houscleaners are glad that this part of California is not ruled by mehico. They'd just add another 2000 miles of poverty to their country anyway.
Check out the anti-illegal alien apparel.
You're all missing the point. The appeal of this ad is not reminiscing about the past or arguing about which version of history is right. What makes this ad work in Mexico is that for many it represents a desirable future. “In a perfect world” is about a version of reality that you want, not one you had and lost. With 12 million illegal immigrants in the US and who knows how may legal immigrants their hearts still belonging to Mexico, I think this future is well on its way. With the inevitable amnesty and accompanying voting rights, I can see these states becoming a part of Mexico, whether the US border is moved or not. Spanish will become the first language in Alta California, not the second.
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