Absolut Vodka is one of the famous brands of V&S Absolut Spirits, a branch of the Vin & Spirits group. V&S is the third most popular alcohol drinks group in the world, after Diageo and Bacardi. It is a Sweden government-owned conglomerate founded in 1917 to regulate the country's drinks industry. Vin & Sprit reported sales of SEK 9.8bn ($1.3bn) in 2005. In addition to Absolut and other vodkas, it is responsible for international brands like Plymouth Gin and Cruzan Rum, the latter acquired in 2005. Vin & Sprit is also Scandinavia's biggest marketer of spirits and wine with a substantial portfolio of brands including Aalborg, Gammel Dansk and Poland's Luksusowa vodka. It distributes Penfolds, Oak Village, Mouton Rothschild, Torres and other wines in the region. Absolut Vodka is still produced in Sweden, in the small town of Ahus and then exported to other countries.
[...] The company is focused only on the white spirits market. • 1985 : Absolut Vodka is the first vodka sold in the American market, behind Stolichanaya, a Russian brand. • Mid-eighties : Absolut Vodka is exported in European and Asiatic countries • 1986 : launch of Asolut Peppar, the first flavoured vodka of the brand. It would led by Absolut Citron in 1988, Absolut Kurant in 1992, Absolut Mandrin in 1999, Absolut Vanilia in 2003, followed by Absolut Raspberri in 2004 and Absolut Apeach in 2005. [...]
[...] Knowing what drives customers to become loyal to a brand is critical. Its innovative means to respond to their changes and expectations contributes to this. Matching this with its mission within the market will easily facilitate Absolut to increase its awareness and consolidate its position in the UK market. Branding Absolut's advantage in being a global brand lies in its ability to achieve and maintain a consistent image across borders, having the same target market, and being promoted and presented in a similar way regardless of geographical participation. [...]
[...] Swedish vodka fitted quite neatly into the niche, and by 1985 Absolut had soared past Stoli to become the biggest-selling imported vodka in the US. Also in the mid-1980s, V&S began to introduce Absolut into European and Asian markets, and in 1986, the company introduced the first spin-off brand, Absolut Peppar, a spicier version of the main brand. In 1993, V&S stunned the drinks industry by sacking Carillon, the company widely credited with establishing Absolut. There were several reasons. One was that Carillon had itself been acquired as part of Liggett in 1980 by drinks giant Grand Metropolitan (later Diageo), who had in turn acquired Heublein, distributors of arch-rival Smirnoff in 1987. [...]
[...] Since 1981, more than 1,000 Absolut ads have been created. Single pages; collaborative collections by artists, photographers, celebrities, authors, fashion designers, interior designers; themed collections by city, country, season, or sign of the zodiac; Christmas ads; and one-off spectaculars like Absolut Warmth, an insert in each copy of New York magazine containing a pair of specially commissioned Donna Karan knitted mittens. The cost was not inconsiderable. By the end of the 1980s, Absolut's marketing budget was bigger than that of any other spirits brand, and it has remained so ever since. [...]
[...] The aim of these campaigns was to show the high quality image of Absolut. This is the difference that lies behind the success of Absolut: constantly trying to surprise consumers by subtle associations of words, but always enhancing the image of "best vodka." Absolut is indeed the most prominent spirit in the spiritual history of pubs. - Other levers of communication of Absolut: Website: www.absolut.com . This site was created by Swedish companies and is intended for consumers as well as vodka bar owners who sell the brand. [...]
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