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Sparks continue to fly over Absolut’s Mexico ad

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This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

The furor over the Absolut vodka Mexican border ad roars on. The Drudge Report posted a link to our post yesterday showing the ad and including the tagline, ‘ABSOLUT runs ads celebrating American Southwest belonging to Mexico...’ This indeed pushed the buttons of the Drudge readers. The comments have been pouring in.

Our friends at the Top of the Ticket blog put a political spin on the ad with ‘WWDHD? WWTTD? (What Would Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo Do?).’

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’...what would the impact be on the presidential campaign? You know, just hypothetically speaking, over a glass of vodka on a Friday afternoon. Well, Hillary Clinton would be out -- the Latino vote in the current Southwest would be voting in Mexico -- so you gotta figure Barack Obama facing off against John McCain in the general (assuming McCain moves from Arizona). And without all the wild-eyed liberals out here in California voting, that leaves the northern tier, the Midwest, the Deep South and the Northeast. Advantage: McCain? You know, if it was an Absolut World. But what we’re having the most trouble envisioning is that border fence along the Columbia River.’

Reporters Deborah Bonello and Reed Johnson wrote a ‘From the blogs’ follow-up story which ran in today’s paper. They included a sampling of the readers’ comments to the original blog post.

Absolut used their own blog to describe the thinking behind the ad.

In an ABSOLUT World according to MexicoPosted Friday, April 04, 2008, 5:24:01 PM ESTWe have received many comments on an ad showing what an ABSOLUT world would look like from a Mexican point of view. We are sorry if we offended anyone. This was not our intention. We will try to explain. Though you may not agree, I hope you understand. The In An Absolut World advertising campaign invites consumers to visualize a world that appeals to them -- one they feel may be more idealized or one that may be a bit ‘fantastic.’ As such, the campaign will elicit varying opinions and points of view. We have a variety of executions running in countries worldwide, and each is germane to that country and that population. This particular ad, which ran in Mexico, was based upon historical perspectives and was created with a Mexican sensibility. In no way was this meant to offend or disparage, nor does it advocate an altering of borders, nor does it lend support to any anti-American sentiment, nor does it reflect immigration issues. Instead, it hearkens to a time which the population of Mexico may feel was more ideal. 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. Obviously, this ad was run in Mexico, and not the US -- that ad might have been very different. By Paula Eriksson, VP Corporate Communications, V&S Absolut Spirits

-- Patrice Roe

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