Absolut Apologizes For Showing U.S. Southwest As New Part Of Mexico
MEXICO CITY — The Absolut vodka company apologized Saturday for an ad campaign depicting the southwestern U.S. as part of Mexico amid angry calls for a boycott by U.S. consumers.
The campaign, which promotes ideal scenarios under the slogan “In an Absolut World,” showed a 1830s-era map when Mexico included California, Texas and other southwestern states. Mexico still resents losing that territory in the 1848 Mexican-American War and the fight for Texas independence.
But the ads, which ran only in Mexico and have since ended, came as the United States builds up its border security amid an emotional debate over illegal immigration from their southern neighbor.
More than a dozen calls to boycott Absolut were posted on michellemalkin.com, a Web site operated by conservative columnist Michelle Malkin. The ads sparked heated comment on a half-dozen other Internet sites and blogs.
“In no way was it 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,” Absolut said in a statement left on its consumer inquiry phone line.
Some fringe U.S. groups also claim the land is rightfully part of Mexico, while extreme immigration foes argue parts of the U.S. already are being overtaken by Mexico.
“In an Absolut world, a company that produces vodka fires its entire marketing department in a desperate attempt to win back enraged North American customers after a disastrous ad campaign backfires,” a person using the moniker “SalsaNChips” wrote on Malkin’s Web site.
A plan for comprehensive immigration reform designed to deal with an estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States — the vast majority from Mexico — collapsed last summer under the emotional weight of the debate.
Absolut said the ad was designed for a Mexican audience and intended to recall “a time which the population of Mexico might 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, and for that we apologize.”
Vin & Sprit, Absolut’s Sweden-based parent company, will be acquired by French spirit maker Pernod Ricard SA under a deal reached last week.
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Their Vodka sucks, and now we know why… they are stupid! How could sponsoring an ad campaign showing part of one country belonging to another country possibly NOT offend anyone or advocate an altering of borders? Dumbassed Swedish socialists! I will never buy Absolut again.
April 6th, 2008 at 4:32 amSo much for Absurd vodka!
April 6th, 2008 at 5:38 amMaybe next they will do an add for Germany showing the borders of the Nazi empire at it’s height.
April 6th, 2008 at 6:13 amI wish every single American would boycott their vodka forever. no actually i know that wouldnt happen, but the government should make it illegal to own. that would work
April 6th, 2008 at 6:24 amSorry, Absolut …
Once vodka turns to rat-piss there’s no distillation process for converting it back.
Chupame, pendejo!
April 6th, 2008 at 7:20 amfuck absolut, good thing i dont drink alcohol anyway and just stick to my buds. i can grow whatever i smoke here in my own backyard…(by backyard i mean an undisclosed location in the appalachian hills surrounding my house
which in an absolut world would be a shared hunting ground for the iroquois alliance.
April 6th, 2008 at 8:01 amSad.
Living in Southern California, I have knowledge that versions of that map actually exists with Mexican activists and they believe that the USA “stole” these lands from Mexico.
I know a school teacher here that has refused to teach sections of state approved history text books that state this.
Europe has lost their borders with Islam, the US has lost its border with Mexico. Quality of life for the indiginous citizens goes down.
Now we have a bunch of asisine Swedes making a big joke of it.
Looks like the same mistakes are being made like the American Indian of past.
April 6th, 2008 at 8:31 amToo late Absolut, I’ve moved on.
April 6th, 2008 at 9:37 amI haven’t received a response to my letter yet, so I’m done with them. There are too many other good Vodkas out there for me to support these guys. This stupid ad campaign is just enough to piss me off and make me spend an extra buck or two and buy something else.
April 6th, 2008 at 10:34 amFuck Absolut. If you want vodka, drink what the Russians drink: Polish Vodka.
April 6th, 2008 at 12:53 pmI prefer good old (mostly) American beer. The only foreign stuff i’ll enjoy is Moretti’s Dark. (la rossa in Italian :eek:)
April 6th, 2008 at 2:59 pmI didn’t know Absolut was Swedish, but now I am wondering how many Volvo’s I’ve been cut off by had Swede-loving owners who weren’t fueled by Absolut.
THESE SWEDISH TURD BURGLERS ONLY APOLOGIZED AFTER THEIR BALLS WERE CAUGHT IN THE RINGER.
April 6th, 2008 at 4:58 pmTEST
April 6th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Mike Swann, are you the hockey player from San Diego?
April 6th, 2008 at 8:19 pmAbsolut sucks.
blue ice vodka from idaho potatos, not grain, best I’ve ever had
April 6th, 2008 at 8:49 pmAt Marc Stockwell-Moniz,
Nope, just a regular working joe.
April 6th, 2008 at 9:33 pmUnless its the cheapest liquor on the market, its gonna take more than a redrawn map to win the mexicans over
April 7th, 2008 at 12:27 amMarketing dept. “just run it, no one in the US will know”. Reverse marketing: Fuck absolut, volvo and IKEA,and swedish meatballs.
April 7th, 2008 at 3:07 amGrey Goose smokes Absolut, hands down, I guess I was boycotting Absolut before I ever decided to boycott Absolut.
April 7th, 2008 at 3:53 amAgree with the poster re the Nazi empire at it’s height! C’mon Absolu, do it! Maybe you can feature something showing the Ottoman Turks at the gates of Vienna too? Or how about the French and the Brits bombing the Suez? Maybe something along the lines of the lost Euro-Empires in Africa, to appeal to those Europeans who long for a “different time?” Maybe the Austro-Hungarian empire? Maybe something with a divided Jerusalem?
April 7th, 2008 at 11:12 am“Vin & Sprit, Absolut’s Sweden-based parent company, will be acquired by French spirit maker Pernod Ricard SA under a deal reached last week.”
LMAO — Maybe the ad was targeting the French market.
April 12th, 2008 at 5:49 pmDrink Texas Vodka
April 12th, 2008 at 7:54 pmhttp://www.titos-vodka.com/titos.html
Not good enough Absolut….keep your piss water forever!!
June 19th, 2008 at 7:58 am