Absolut book: La Saga publicitaire d'Absolut vodka

by Richard W. Lewis, Anne Rose (Translator), Daniel Gaujac (Translator)

This definitive illustrated history of one of the most successful ad campaigns ever is a collector's delight that brings together nearly 500 ads, including a rogues' gallery of reject ads never before published. The author has been in charge of the Absolut Vodka advertising account since 1987. Over 500 color plates.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Photography, Art Design, Design, Business, Alcohol

274 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 1996

About the author

Richard W. Lewis (RL) is a branding guy, marketing strategist, author and professor. He was the Worldwide Managing Director at TBWA/Chiat/Day on Absolut vodka, responsible for strategy, marketing and creative, globally. He is the author of the New York Times bestselling ABSOLUT BOOK. RL teaches at New York University, an Honors course he created, “Branding: People Places and Things.” RL likes people, is a happy person, and isn’t embarrassed about either.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/ 5 stars

When I was younger I was obsessed with the Absolut Vodka ad campaign. I collected the free postcards and I followed all of the ads.

This book is fantastic. I love the story and the various ad photos. I love everything about this book.

[Jen]

When I was an advertising student in college, we were given an assignment: Find what we thought was a really good (print) ad and explain why it was amazing, etc. I chose Absolut's 'commissioned artist' campaign of the 90's, which had been running for about three years by the time. My class hated it, my professor hated it. I ended up dropping out of the course after one semester because it was a poorly taught course. Their not recognizing the genius in the Absolut campaign pretty much summed it up.

P.S. The classic ad campaign began in 1980.

[Jaimie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may have read the second book in this series first, but that didn’t ruin any of the information in the seminal book chronicling the history of Absolut Vodka advertising. The second book contained a brief overview of the history before diving straight into the ads themselves, but this book presents a much more detailed origin story, telling stories of the friendly rivalry between Absolut and Stolichnaya, the original personas involved, and of course detailing the early attempts at Swedish-themed ads before settling on the effectively simple campaign that continues to this day. I think that no matter how many ads the company produces I’ll always be fascinated by the creativity and art behind them, so having access to the early ads (which I was obviously too young to see in real life) and the rare ads which only appeared in specific publications (lucky New Yorkers readers!) is a great boon. The ad that shocked me the most in this collection was surprisingly one which looks like it could have originated in Saskatchewan; the Absolut team actually commissioned a farmer to grow specific crops in a pattern, just so that they could get an aerial image for the campaign! If that’s not dedication to creativity, then I don’t know what is!

[Ray Quirolgico · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous to look at - this review of Absolut vodka advertisements brought back a lot of memories, especially of my much younger self growing up in New York City seeing these images all around me. But the boom provided some interesting history to the artistry and the design thinking that went into a monumentally successful ad campaign that still seems to be defining and ubiquitous.

[Karmeluna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolut inspiring !

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of amazing images from the marketing campaigns over the years which make great home decor for 20 somethings.

[Christina Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like a vodka-themed time capsule. Some great art and stories. Book sale find!

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filled me with nostalgia like nothing else, not sure why

[Isaac Grolnic-McClurg · Rating 5 out of 5]

W rizz

[Pikul Tybalt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this because I used to collect magazines and I used to cut out pictures of Absolut Vodka ads from the magazines and put them together, but now there is a book for it and I just place the pictures in the book where they're the same. :D

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going into this book, I knew that Absolut Vodka has had one of the most consistently recognizable ad campaigns in the history of - well - ad campaigns. I actually had the ads for "Absolut Shelley" and "Absolut Stoker" on my bulletin boards during the study of the Romantic time/authors in my classroom. (English lit teacher). I think many of my students were 'impressed' to see a bridge between classic literature and the uber-hip advertising business.
Once I started reading the book, however, I came to realize that this campaign was much more far-reaching than I ever could have imagined. It is a wonderful blend of the how/why the campaign was conceived and developed - and a visually rich compendium of the physical ads themselves.
I was pretty sure I would enjoy 'snorkeling' through this book when I got it. It was a pleasant surprise to actually 'scuba' into the history and back stories.
At the beginning of the book, there is a quote from Detective Mike Kellerman, a character in my favorite TV series ever - "Homicide: Life on the Streets" :
"There are no absolutes in life, only in vodka." Well said.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a long time fan of the Absolut Vodka ads I have to say this book was right up my alley. I am one of those that will save a particular Absolut ad that I like. I'm sure many would argue that at this point the ad campaign is outdated and stale but I am always tickled to see the newest ad's subject matter. The book profiles a bunch of the ads featured in magazines throughout the years. Most but not all of them are given a short blurb about them, how they came about, funny germaine stories, subject matter info etc. The advertising story is wound throughout the pictures via the chapter's written intro. They keep it too the limit so it doesn't bog down the ads. Chapters are divided by series, e.g. Ads with European Cities, Artists etc. It also has a index included so you can find an ad in question quickly.

Overall a great coffeetable book and conversation starter.

[W.B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute.

I had seen dozens and dozens of these ads, but not the hundreds and hundreds in here.

And the backstory about how the company succeeded against odds is interesting.

But goes best with 1) ablutions 2) lavatory functions 3) cheese or 4) boredom.

Not recommended for 1) those seeking serious answers concerning ontology 2) lovers of vampire fiction 3) those seeking to get their freak on or 4) people who shouldn't be thinking about alcohol in any form because it makes them do "bad things" which result in lost years in rooms with tiny or nonexistent windows wherein homosexuality is no longer a "life choice."

Prost.

[Kaethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Probably there aren't too many people who really want to know the history of an ad campaign, but Lewis counted on the extraordinary popularity of the Absolut ads. As ads, they are truly art. Fascinating to see the ads grouped, to catch up on all the ones you missed.
The only thing that stopped this book from getting a ""10"" was a screw up in the proofing. Try page 174 or thereabouts for the states spread. The ads are arranged alphabetically by state, but you'll notice that where it should say ""South Dakota"", it says ""North Dakota"" again. Whoops! there it is."

[Tonya Wertman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have collected Absolut Vodka ads since I was in high school and received this book as gift. Now, I know which ones are missing from my collection! I work in marketing and advertising, so this book is significant in depicting how a brand is able to create such a distinctive, recognizable persona through simple (yet innovative and creative) variations on a theme. Absolut will go down in history as one of the most effective campaigns of the late 20th century.

[Jamie Teller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nostalgic favorite; I grew up loving Absolut's wonderfully inventive ads and this book collected a great many of them together, along with Lewis' witty and informative commentary. In retrospect it's probably a bit on the puffy side, but it's well worth reading, especially now that Absolut has abandoned their classic theme in favor of a more generic campaign.

[Babette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun book because it captures many of the images that were used in advertising Absolut. The creativity and artistry are wonderful and fun. This has to be one of the best advertising campaigns ever.

[Sekar · Rating 4 out of 5]

cool - creative - unusual idea...

[Norma · Rating 4 out of 5]

As awesome book tracing the history of the Absolut Vodka ads. A must-have for collectors like myself.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and creative ways Absolut Vodka marketing advertisements.

[Darinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book on Adbolut's advertising.

[Ariane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big fan of the ad campaign. Enjoyed the book. The advertisers were very creative.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just for the pictures...

[Eddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vodka has never looked better.

[Denise Estêvão · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personally I love this one. It has everything Vodka in it, as is supposed to. It has history, ideas, marketing, design, branding, agencies, people. Is just amazing.

[Kate Zirkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book and this campaign. It's one of the greatest in history.

[Volker · Rating 5 out of 5]

fun and instructive