Absolut Vodka is a French-owned brand of vodka, produced near Åhus, Skåne, in southern Sweden. Since March 2008, the company has been owned by the French firm Pernod Ricard, having been sold by V&S Group, which is owned by the Swedish government. Absolut is the third largest brand of alcoholic spirits in the world after Bacardi and Smirnoff, and is sold in 126 countries.
Absolut’s beautiful “Anthem” commercial was the result of a collaborative effort by a group of artists, who created art installations in scenic locations around the world. The art pieces in the commercial spell out the core philosophy of the company, "See something different in an ABSOLUT WORLD." “Anthem” is a both literal and symbolic manifestation of ABSOLUT VODKA’s belief making it an appropriate name for the campaign itself. ‘Anthem’ conveys the most fundamental brand belief and states that ABSOLUT has a long-term commitment to creativity.” The Emmy award nominated Absolut Manifesto advert focuses on the theme that doing something different leads to something exceptional.
The commercial was the brainchild of Mark Figliulo, and was directed by Rupert Sanders (of Monster “Legs” commercial fame) in association with Mass Market, a visual effects company.
Much of Absolut's fame is due to its long-running advertising campaign, created by advertising agency TBWA, based on the distinctive bottle shape. Having started around 1980 with photographer Steven Bronstein, and with more than 1500 ads, the ad campaign is the longest running ever. The ads frequently feature an Absolut bottle-shaped object in the center and a title "ABSOLUT ____." at the bottom. Absolut was one of the first consumer brands to openly embrace the gay community and view its members as important and desirable consumers of its product. Its ads have appeared ingay media since 1981, and the company has long sponsored major gay events
Message Execution
The way in which the advertising appeal has been executed is the