Inner Space, 1987

The Absolut Vodka advertising campaign is surely one of the most successful and creative American advertising campaigns in recent memory. In the 1980's the relatively unknown Swiss vodka maker Absolut was signed to be distributed by the American firm Carillon. Michel Roux, director of sales at Carillon, presciently awarded the Absolut account to TBWA Chiat/Day. In addition to clever word plays, the campaign commissioned important artists of the period, such as Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf, Ed Ruscha and Andy Warhol to paint works incorporating the distinctive Ablsolut bottle to their own aesthetic under the text of "Absolut Haring" or "Absolut Scharf". The Absolut campaign of the 1980's lifted a vodka brand from obscurity to become not only a household word but a popular culture icon synonymous with the period. It is hard to imagine an American citizen alive during this time that was not exposed to the Absolut brand via these ads. The ads themselves have bred a whole subculture of collectors and fanatics over the astonishing 15 year period of the campaign.