from Sydney Morning Herald: Public relations, point of sale, online, event marketing, even a branded pub in a suitably gritty part of town. Every element of the marketing mix was there at the launch of Absolut’s spin-off brand, Cut, bar one, a media schedule.
The only thing missing was the one element that has been present for the launch of a major spirits brands since marketing was invented. Last week, Absolut made marketing history when it launched without a cent being spent on traditional advertising.
The drink company opted instead to lease its own bar, brand it and stage a major photography exhibition there.
Absolut’s strategy flies in the face of marketing convention; an average of $3 million is spent on advertising to launch a brand.
Thanks to Johnnie Moore for the pointer.
Launching A Liquor Without Advertising — But With PR And Everything Else
One of the best pitches I’ve ever been part of was for a new light beer, brewed by a Texas brewery that is best known for its darker beers.
We worked for weeks to develop a fully integrated rollout plan — all on a tiny budget for a regional brand. …
David:
Interesting approach. I think Absolut’s effort will probably work just fine without traditional advertising. Time will tell.
See my post here http://wagnercomm.blogspot.com/2005/04/launching-liquor-without-advertising.html for a story about an integrated beer pitch I was involved in that lost out to a straight advertising campaign.
AdPulp: Cut The Crap
Check out this story over at AdPulp for another big sign that companies are moving away from big media buys and toward creating more personal experiences around their brands: AdPulp: Cut The Crap.