Posted on 04/04/2008 9:04:33 AM PDT by CedarDave
The latest Internet outrage is a vodka maker's ad showing a pre-1848 North America.
Not too long ago, Janet Murguia, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza, blasted some television commentators (mentioning Pat Buchanan and CNN's Lou Dobbs and Glenn Beck by name) for demonizing Latino immigrants, legal and illegal alike, during the current heated immigration debate.
At La Raza's Web site, www.wecanstopthehate.org, among the "code words" used to smear Latinos is "La Reconquista" -- the supposed reconquest of territory that once belonged to Mexico that was sold to the United States at gunpoint following the Mexican War.
Now, if accusing Mexican immigrants of trying to retake those lands -- including California, Arizona, New Mexico and parts of Colorado and Nevada -- is hate speech, what does La Raza make of a new ad from Absolut Vodka, now appearing on billboards and magazines in Mexico and the Internet?
Anti-illegal immigration firebrand Michelle Malkin has been stoking outrage (here and here) over the ad that shows a large swath of the U.S. Southwest as part of Mexico (under the words "IN AN ABSOLUT WORLD"), even inviting a photoshopped alternative.
"Reconquista," according to La Raza, is "an antiquated metaphor used by Chicano scholars in the 1960s to refer to a mythical `Aztlan' in the Southwest. Although it is difficult to find anyone in the Latino community outside of a few student groups or fringe groups that have ever espoused this idea, it appears to be gaining far more attention and notoriety in the context of the current immigration debate than it ever did as a scholarly doctrine."
(Excerpt) Read more at abqjournal.com ...
“I’m in doubt it is real.. On a couple of other threads it was noted this first seemed to appear on April 1st, this ad is not listed with any of Absolute’s current ads or campaigns, and the advertising agency that is supposedly behind this doesn’t have anything listed about this, and they have releases and pages pretty much every time they launch a new one because Absolute’s ads are so popular.”
Okay. Thanks, I didn’t see that. Should be easy enough to find out. Did you check under ‘Absolut’ instead of ‘Absolute’?
What do you think of it, if in fact, it is real? Messages are being posted on their websites and everywhere else, tons sent to corporate heads...... why hasn’t Absolut said it’s a farce?
Yes, I'll go back and add the links I found. It may be legit, but we've been burned before so many times by hoaxes, I always like to make sure before I react. It is on the Internet after all.. :->
I found an outfit that has spoofed Absolut before, but their not claiming this one.
http://adbusters.org/spoofads/alcohol/
I don’t find anything indicating a spoof, hoax or farce.
This might help, from a trade paper a few months ago.
ABSOLUT launches new advertising
ABSOLUT vodka is introducing a new multimedia campaign that reasserts the leadership of ABSOLUT Vodka as “The ABSOLUT Vodka” and celebrates other classics that are “absolutes” in our culture. “The Absolute” campaign marks the first time that ABSOLUT will advertise its base brand with two 30-second television spots debuting on Comedy Central, Fox Sports Net, TBS, Spike and E!. The campaign also features online and print, with online media and print rolling out in February magazine issues and websites. The broadcast spots illustrate a collage of “absolute” moments and icons that define modern culture. Images include “The Absolute Morale Booster” (Marilyn Monroe singing for U.S. troops) and “The Absolute Road Trip” (first manned trip to the moon). The print advertisement features an ABSOLUT bottle levitating over a color-block table with copy that reads “The ABSOLUT Vodka” the image connotes an exclamation point. The print ad illustrates the originality of ABSOLUT Vodka and succinctly delivers the single message that ABSOLUT is “The Absolute Vodka.” The campaign was created by AOR TBWA/Chiat Day. The buying agency is OMD NY.
http://www.rbr.com/epaper/issue11-06-fmt.html
Here is the page on the ‘In An Absolut World’ campaign.
This ad, nor any even similar are listed that I can find.
This ad in question certainly seems to follow their plan for advertising as outlined in this article from 2007.
“Drinkers are invited to imbibe ‘’in an Absolut World,’’ a fanciful, even surreal, place where common sense prevails and just deserts are always on the menu.”
Can’t post more because of source...
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9802E0D6153EF934A15757C0A9619C8B63
Found it.. looks like it was legit.. it was really, really, really buried.. they just released a blog post on it.. I’ll post it in a thread and ping you on it..
The author is a typical lib journalist. Just because his moral relativism doesn't see a problem doesn't mean there isn't one. Starting with breaking US law the minute one crosses the border illegally.
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