Posted on 04/05/2008 7:37:40 AM PDT by Cableguy
MEXICO CITY -- The latest advertising campaign in Mexico from Swedish vodka maker Absolut seemed to push all the right buttons south of the U.S. border, but it ruffled a few feathers in El Norte.
As word of the campaign spread across the border, primarily via the Internet, some in the United States began giving the campaign a much more hostile reception.
The colorful ad, created by the Teran\TBWA agency and the vodka maker, is a sight gag depicting what a map of North America might look like "In an Absolut world," i.e., a perfect one.
It shows the Mexican border extending, very roughly, to its position during the 1800s before the Mexican-American War.
At that time, California as we now know it was part of Mexican territory and known as Alta California. Those territories eventually became U.S. property after the voluntary annexation of Texas and, later, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
Jeffrey Moran, a spokesman for Absolut in New York, said Friday that the company had received numerous complaints about the ad, which won't be running in the United States. The ads ran for about two months in Mexico and had been scheduled to end this week.
Moran acknowledged that the ad had inflamed the already heated immigration debate and that the campaign had been accused of being anti-American, which he said was "never the intention of Absolut."
"This ad certainly has nothing to do with immigration issues or anti-Mexican sentiments," Moran said. "It's based on a historical perspective on what Mexico was once. That's all."
A Friday post about the campaign on The Times' La Plaza blog generated hundreds of responses, both positive and negative, about the campaign.
Many readers who posted comments said they found the ad offensive and planned to boycott Absolut.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
No longer buying drinking or even using this to clean tar off my shoes.
This has to rank among the most offensive ads ever.
“Absolut vodka ad stirs a U.S.-Mexico debate: Some in the north take offense”
SOME??? SOME TAKE OFFENSE??? I should think that any American that loves their nation would be incensed beyond belief at the ad.
Will go down in history as one of the stupidest ads ever written. Sure it was made for a small Hispanic publication, but didn’t they know about the Internet?
I just posted on their website that I bet they would NEVER consider an ad depicting the 1861 USA-CSA borders and declaring them to be desirable in an Absolut World. Wouldn’t be PC.
But it WOULD sell a helluva lot of vodka down here.
Might even put the bootlegger out of bidness.... Nah!
It will probably appear on the "What were they thinking?" TV show. That was my first reaction.
Funny thing is, if that map ever came true, the rest of the "Estados Unidos" would STILL be fighting illegal immigration as the Reconquista States rapidly turn into the corrupt poverty-stricken Hellhole that is Mexico.
If they hate the USA so much, I won’t offend them with my American Dollars ever again. ABSOLUT-LY NEVER AGAIN!
Absolut vodka ad stirs a U.S.-Mexico debate: Some in the north take offense...
boycott this crap....show those a-holes no merecy and let them drown in it!!!
Absolut served its purpose for this teenage reprobate back in the 80s, but with age comes refinement.
I'll take a grey goose martini, make it a double, with extra olives and extra dirty, please...
Congressman Billybob
Never liked it...always would buy Findlandia or Kettleone{when I had the bucks}
But would rather have a Gin and Tonic, Bombay Sapphire........HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Very true - seen LA lately?
We ought to show the Swedes, in their ABSOLUT world, what the borders would look like in Europe right now had the US not entered WWII.
They would never, ever do a similar ad targeting any other country. Dear Absolut, whether or not you intended an anti-American message, you created an anti-American message. And message has been received.
Miller Brewing did almost the same thing ... had some sort of new brew (people drink Miller?????)that had an Hispanic name and all the advertising for it was in Spanish - all the display cards on restaurant tables was all printed in Spanish ... took one and wrote a note about you people want to sell your swill in the USA then print your ad in ENGLISH!!!!
Never heard a word back .....
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