Absolut on How to Lose Customers with Historical Maps
Travel Blog • Jim Benning • 04.07.08 | 12:46 PM ET
What were they thinking? The Absolut vodka company was running ads in Mexico featuring an 1830s map showing the southwestern U.S. as part of Mexico and featuring the line, “In an Absolut World.” It’s part of a campaign depicting “ideal scenarios,” according to the AP. It’s a clever ad, and I’m sure it played well in Mexico. But, shockingly, it came to the attention of some humorless U.S. citizens. Cue the calls for boycotts, the angry letters and Absolut’s apology.
Said Absolut as part of its mea culpa:
“As a global company, we recognize that people in different parts of the world may lend different perspectives or interpret our ads in a different way than was intended in that market…”
Ya think?
We file map-related posts like these in our blog category Geography for Fun and Profit. But for Absolut, this is more like Geography for Headaches and Losses.
Talk about mapping dangerously.
Ernesto Flores 04.07.08 | 6:16 PM ET
I guess people don’t know their own history. We piss on people all over the world but I guess most people don’t know what to do when it hits them in the face. It wasn’t an add meant for the US and since we stuck our nose where it wasn’t meant we got our panties up in a bunch. WELL how you doin’? Read up on a little history and find out how that part of what was Mexico now the US. Here’s the doozy…don’t read an American history book or for that matter a Mexican history bopok either. Read a history book from a nuetral country so everyone can find out the REAL truth. How you doin’?
David 04.07.08 | 6:37 PM ET
The last semi-literate comment notwithstanding, Americans have every right to be put off by this ad, as would any self-respecting citizens. Nationalism, escpecially of the historical territorial-grievance variety, is a double edged sword, and to leverage it for advertising purposes is foolish in the extreme. It sets a bad precedent (Absolut Kosovo in Greater Serbia? Absolut Koenigsberg and Silesia in Greater Germany? Absolut Vilnius in Poland?). And if one objects that we don’t in fact see these type of advertisements, that begs the question - why is it ok to exclusively use the United States as the butt of such fanciful jests, but no other country? IF anti-Americanism is to be used as a selling point, then it is indeed good that Americans know about it, and they are free to ignore, cheer (as many of our more deranged do), sneer at, or boycott the ad campaign and product in question. Its not a question of ‘sticking our noses in some one else’s business’, but of taking advandage of the free flow of information and making our choices - the essence of liberal capitalism.
Carl 04.07.08 | 11:34 PM ET
If you get your panties in a bunch over an ad for vodka that ran in a different country, you seriously need to lighten up.
This country seriously needs to quit taking itself so seriously. It was a joke. Not only that but as the first poster stated it was a joke that actually has some historical accuracy to it… that area of the U.S. really did used to belong to Mexico.
Let’s face it, it really would be an “Absolut World” for Mexico if they never lost that territory to the United States. But they did. We own it now. They aren’t getting it back. So quit getting so upset over a clever ad campaign.
Jeremiah 04.08.08 | 12:25 AM ET
I tell ya. We Americans need to lighten up. The ad was brilliant!!!!!!!!!!
ABSOLUT BRILLIANCE!
Once again, we as Americans have shown how ignorant we really are. The ad was not for the US market! Is anyone in the world entitled to their opinion???? Must everyone conform to the US way of thinking? To those who are offended pleas pick up a history book and have a good read. I think that ABSOLUT should LEAVE the AD RUNNING
Dissertation Writing Services 04.08.08 | 2:26 AM ET
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Rafael Hernandez 04.08.08 | 2:59 AM ET
Three Facts for all Americans:
All people living in the American Continent ARE Americans.
All Mexicans are just as North Americans as the gringos who came much later in history.
And third, there is no such thing as “the Mexican American War” because, as everyone shall know, war can only be realized when BOTH countries in conflict declare war on each otner; Mexico NEVER did. So, the United States of America INVADED Mexico and took half of our country ILLEGALLY.
We are getting our land back!!! (little by little)...
Stop having tortilla chips and dip after work, lose weight, and learn the true US history.
Sincerely,
One of 30 million-plus Mexicans already in our northern territories.
David 04.08.08 | 10:35 AM ET
Oh, please. Mexico was a chaotic despotism throughout much of its history, and given its bordering a vital and expanding power like the United States the inevitable happened. In any case, Mexico owned the land in question for 15 years in the case of Texas, and 24 years for the rest, which does not constitute a claim in perpetuity, as any adult will tell you. Or do you reconquista types claim that Mexico has a claim on the entire former Spanish Empire in the western hemisphere?
I find it distasteful in the extreme that people who are enjoying the benefits of (presumably) living in the United States spout this ungrateful nonsense. But in the end, these are the cries of spoiled children who have not the slightest historical or geopolitical sophistication. This is emotionally driven self-esteem as history, and no words can condemn it strongly enough.
As far as the ‘it’s just a vodka ad’ goes, it is a vodka ad that leverages anti-americanism and nationalistic territorial grievance. How difficult is this to understand?
Pablo Villegas 04.08.08 | 2:20 PM ET
anti-americanism??
First, America is a continent, not a country!
The ad was run in Mexico, and we did own that territory at some point in our history, so, what is so anti-US about it?
If anything is pro-Mexico campaign run in Mexico! what’s wrong with that?
And no, thankfully I do not live in your country(U.S.A. not America).
Teka 04.08.08 | 7:31 PM ET
I’m a US citizen and this ad made me chuckle. I see nothing offensive in it, particularly as it wasn’t even marketed to my own country.
rohelio 04.10.08 | 7:25 AM ET
David siad: “Oh, please. Mexico was a chaotic despotism throughout much of its history, and given its bordering a vital and expanding power like the United States the inevitable happened.”
Ah yes, Manifest Destiny. Substitute Shonaland for Mexico and South Africa for the United States. Or try China and Japan. The little brown or black or yellow people couldn’t govern themselves properly so, sigh, we will have to take over and civilize them.
Chill out, it’s an AD, not a historical polemic.