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I'm Absolut Swedish but NEVER EVER again will I buy Absolut Vodka and I will, at least, TRY to avoid other products of V&S Group (their repertoire is a pretty broad one though and I kinda party from time to time..), a former Swedish company which recently was sold to French Pernod Ricard (for the sum of €5,626 billion). I've also managed to convince my father and some of my friends to join my initiative and I'll continue to campaign! The background is, of course, the already infamous Absolut Vodka ad with the words "In an Absolut World" slapped over...

SODERTALJE, Sweden -- Behind the wheel of his old Ford Escort, Oshin Merzoian puttered happily along snowy streets. Back home in Baghdad, he said, he always drove at crazy speeds to avoid killers and kidnappers. But here in "Little Baghdad," as this city that has accepted roughly as many Iraqi refugees as the entire United States is called, Merzoian is enjoying the luxuries of living in peace. He doesn't strap on a gun for protection, and he notes that Swedish police worry more about seat belts than roadside bombs. "Even if they remake Iraq from gold and diamonds, I wouldn't...

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The distillers of Sweden's Absolut vodka have withdrawn an advertisement run in Mexico that angered many U.S. citizens by idealizing an early 19th century map showing chunks of the United States as Mexican. ADVERTISEMENT The billboard ad has the slogan "In an Absolut World" slapped over a pre-1848 map showing California, Arizona and other U.S. states as Mexican territory. Those states were carved out of what had been Mexican lands until that year. Although it was not shown in the United States, U.S. media outlets picked up on the ad, and after a barrage of complaints,...

In an ABSOLUT World All Men Are Created 'Equal' and Gay Marriage Is a Celebrated Reality Monday April 7, 9:00 am ET World's Most Iconic Vodka Unveils First-Ever Gay and Lesbian Creative as Part of its 'In An ABSOLUT World' Campaign NEW YORK, April 7, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- With its tongue planted firmly in its cheek, ABSOLUT® VODKA, the world's most iconic vodka, unveils its first-ever LGBT-specific creative stemming from its 'In An ABSOLUT World' campaign. Embracing both the humorous and socially conscious, ABSOLUT challenges the status quo by presenting a bold and optimistic worldview that speaks directly to gay...

I got a note from Mr. Moran, the PR guy at Absolut. It reads" "The ad has been down -- have you not seen the Pears ad in its place?" Jeffrey A. Moran Corporate and Brand Communications The Absolut Spirits Co., Inc. 401 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10016 CONTACT email: jeffrey.moran@absolut.com direct dial: +1 212.641.8720 main: +1 212.641.8700 fax: +1 212.641.8703 mobile: +1 917.609.2463