Absolut Book.: The Absolut Vodka Advertising Story [Hardcover]

Richard W. Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1996

A New York Times bestseller, Absolut Book is the behind-the-scenes account of the birth and growth of this award-winning campaign and provides a definitive illustrated history of one of the most successful ad campaigns ever. It is a collector's delight with nearly five hundred ads.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Is it possible to create a worthwhile book about the Absolut Vodka's advertising campaign? Absolutely. TBWA/Chiat Day executive Lewis tells the story of the ad campaign that increased the sale of Absolut Vodka by 14,900% over 15 years. For ad junkies who want all the details, Lewis includes almost 500 Absolut ads along with commentary on how each ad was created and chosen. For example, "Absolut Clarity," which has a magnifying glass over the words "Country of Sweden," was used to emphasize that unlike most imported vodkas Absolut was not made in Russia. This book will have the greatest appeal among those who appreciate the creativity behind the pieces such as "Absolut D.C.," featuring an Absolut bottle wrapped in red tape. A warning: Lewis notes, "Librarians have to guard their magazines from being de-Absoluted." If your library has this problem, buying a book with 500 ads might be a risk. Still, this is highly recommended for libraries with an interest in advertising and marketing.?Emily Engel Moore, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

It's an Absolut-ly unabashed commercial salute to one brand of vodka that has almost single-handedly defined the shape of creative magazine advertising for many years. New York City adman Lewis not only recounts the beginnings of the campaign and the U.S. launch but also documents the story of the long-term business relationship between client and agency. This 15-year saga of bottle as hero shows, first, relatively conservative ads (Absolut joy, Absolut anticipation, Absolut generosity), then segues to the by-now-expected, break-through-the-clutter commercial: the 1987 musical "holiday song" chip, a plastic record, and a packet of flower seeds. Best are the captions and some of the behind-the-scenes footage and prose, such as the fact that wheat was used to attract pigeons to Piazza San Marco to form the shape of a bottle of--what else? Absolut Venice, of course. Barbara Jacobs

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Journey Editions (October 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885203322
• ISBN-13: 978-1885203328
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 9.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #936,764 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Awful Absolut Advertising, November 13, 2000

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Absolut Book.: The Absolut Vodka Advertising Story (Paperback)

Much as I hate to admit it, editors add more value than authors often appreciate. This book is a good example of missed potential for good editing.

The book contains almost 500 Absolut ads, and some of the rejects. What I did not realize until I looked at this book was how much bad Absolut advertising has appeared. Clearly, this volume would have been greatly improved by eliminating about 450 of the images in it. There is also a lot of text about how the ads are created, with a lot of pats on the back for the importers and agency involved. But there is relatively little about the creative process, and what works and what doesn't.

If you want to learn more interesting details about Absolut, I suggest that you acquire the newer book, Absolut, the History of the Bottle, instead.

Absolut advertising is all built around the formula of the word "Absolut" followed by some other word or words intending to say "Absolute X." While the lines are almost always good, the execution of how well the images fit with the text often leaves something or a lot to be desired. In other cases, the visuals are just plain ugly.

As the text suggests here, the idea was that "Absolut would be a product that could laugh at itself." That position is missed when the image is either almost irrelevant or unattractive. It just makes Absolut seem like it is a reflection of bad taste.

The mood for the ads was supposed to be light to " . . . add a dollop of humor so the 'We're the best' claim wouldn't be quite so boring or prententious." Well, you'll have to judge for yourself, but the ads seemed to have badly strayed from that standard.

Just so you won't think I dislike the campaign, here are my favorite ads in the book (I have eliminated "Absolut" from the titles to save space): Perfection, Joy, Peak, 19th, Harmony, L.A., Manhattan, Haring, and Appeal.

The other thought that bothered me was treating expensive vodka advertising as art. What's the social benefit here?

After you have finished considering the book, I suggest that you examine how you can add beauty to the world through your life and your work.

A votre sante!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!!, June 19, 2003

By 

"intentaccess" (Boca Raton, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Absolut Book.: The Absolut Vodka Advertising Story (Paperback)

This is a wonderful, informative, and beautiful book.
This book is about the Absolut Vodka advertising campaign. How it began, and what it is about. There are many beautiful, and breath taking images which makes you see the entire light of the campaign which looks so simple from the outside. Now, you get the inside looks and it isn't simple at all but an amazing experience.
WOW!!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutley Fabulous!!!!, January 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Absolut Book.: The Absolut Vodka Advertising Story (Paperback)

This is book is absolutley fabulous (no pun intended). I've been tearing these ads out of magazines for years now and have them all over my walls. Who knew so many others were doing the same? The book is filled with almost 500 of the ads explaining how most of them were shot or created. It is a definite must for Absolut fans!!!!