Toast to Your Town

The recent launch of Absolut Los Angeles is yet another example of a brand “getting back to basics”, reviving an old product, or in this case continuing an older ad campaign —a topic some of my fellow bloggers and I have been discussing as of late.

Absolut Los Angeles is actually an extension of one of the brand’s vintage marketing plans. Launched in the late 1980’s, “The Absolute Cities” campaign coined a limited edition flavor of vodka for a selection of cities in the US and Europe. The campaign included a unique vodka flavor personalized to accent the culture of each city, with flashy print ads to boot.

The campaign re-launched in 2007. But with a twist (not of lime).

Absolut New Orleans hit the market in August 2007 with a cool new bottle, a funky flavor (mango and black pepper), and a city relevant print advertisement. The twist? To commemorate the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the brand announced that 100% of sales proceeds would be distributed amongst local New Orleans charities to fund efforts to rebuild the city.

Going forward, a portion of the sales from each featured city will be donated to a relevant local cause.

So it seems that I unexpectedly uncovered another brand exercising social responsibility through cause marketing. Cheers, Absolut!

New to the lineup, Absolut Los Angeles is a blend of the trendiest berries—pomegranate, blueberry, acerola and acai. The bottle sports an image of a theater-esque spotlight. A portion of the proceeds from sales will be donated to Green Way LA . The organization plans to use the funds for their “Green Streets” plan designed to prevent polluted runoff from entering the Pacific Ocean.

The next city flavor will launch in the summer of 2009. Think your town deserves a toast? You can go to http://www.absolut.com/campaign/absolutla/nominate to nominate your city.

Contributed by Laine Beyerl