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Will Femia is a Weblog enthusiast who, through good fortune and dumb luck, was introduced to the form as his position as chat producer for MSNBC.com careered into obsolescence. On any given day, Will can be found having already spent an unhealthy amount of time squinting at a computer screen.

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That Mexican Absolut ad

Posted: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 7:17 PM by Will Femia
Filed Under:


Did Absolut just think no one in the U.S. would notice their Mexican ad campaign? I can already imagine the "Absolut World" parody maps being Photoshopped across the blogosphere.

ADDING: Rob in the comments asks if I'm declaring a new contest with my Photoshop mention. As a matter of fact, the swag box arrived today and there was extra stuff in it so I'm looking for another reason to have a contest. This subject is a little hot though and I'd like to keep the contests to something fun. A Photoshop (or whatever program you have) is a good idea though. Do you think enough people know how to do it? I don't know very much beyond sharpening and cropping images so a contest would be a good excuse to learn. Let's keep an eye out.

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Comments

Is this a contest to see who can make the best photoshopped map?

Rob, Indianapolis (Sent Tuesday, April 08, 2008 8:13 PM)

ummmm, note to America: get a sense of humor.  Although, it's really not funny.  More sad, when you consider we stole that land from them, er I'm sorry, we won it in a war.  I think they deserve a bit of laughter at our expense, at the very least.

Rob, Philly (Sent Tuesday, April 08, 2008 9:02 PM)

In Absolut's defense.  It's a historically accurate map...rather than a wish-it-was-so map.

Sam (Sent Tuesday, April 08, 2008 9:29 PM)

I agree with Rob's response.

I'm so disgusted with American's superiority complex. It is, however, something the company should have fully anticipated. In fact, it may very well be exactly what they anticipated, if they subscribe to the belief that "no publicity is bad publicity". They made the news, didn't they?

If I was going to be buying Vodka, I'd buy their brand. Unfortunately for them, I don't drink.

JE, Detroit (Sent Tuesday, April 08, 2008 10:08 PM)

So if it's a Mexican campaign, why is it in English?

JK (Sent Wednesday, April 09, 2008 12:18 AM)

I don't think anyone is begrudging Mexicans liking the ad, but Americans are also allowed to dislike it. I also don't understand the calls for Americans to have a sense of humor about it, the ad isn't trying to be funny, it's trying to ingratiate the company with the local population by tapping into resentments and animosity.

It's inflaming an already touchy situation just to get Mexicans to buy a particular brand of liquor. Very dumb move by Absolut and that non-apology apology was even worse because it came directly from the company rather than an ad agency.

Sean (Sent Wednesday, April 09, 2008 1:50 AM)

I'm sorry, but wouldn't an "Absolut world" show that land belonging to the Apache, Comanche, etc. nations?  I  mean we are talking absolute here.  How silly shall we go?  

KRW (Sent Wednesday, April 09, 2008 6:39 AM)

You are all putting the blinders on if you don't think that the map you are looking at is what Mexico is aiming for TODAY while they are invading our country. It isn't a hardy laugh about what the past looked like, it's what the future looks like while we sit around and try not to offend anyone's sensitive feelings.

KM (Sent Wednesday, April 09, 2008 8:26 AM)

Mexico stole that land from the Indian Natives.  America only helped liberate that territory from the foreign invaders.

Emma Morrow, Urbana, IL (Sent Wednesday, April 09, 2008 11:10 AM)

Good hell, people! What difference does it make? Are we all so bigoted/paranoid/jaded/pathetic that we have to blow up at something as ridiculous as an ad campaign for vodka? Who cares if they played on the Mexican sentiment that the West should belong to Mexico? It doesn't change  the fact that it still belongs to the US, nor does the constant influx of Mexican immigrants to the states. The world is definitely changing, but it will only be miserable for those that fight it in the name of scarcity, nationalism, or other such myths. We will all be just fine. I, for one, welcome our Mexican overlords. I'd like to remind them that as a trusted community leader I could be helpful in rounding up others...

Tristin, Provo, (future) North Mexico (Sent Wednesday, April 09, 2008 11:47 AM)

"You are all putting the blinders on if you don't think that the map you are looking at is what Mexico is aiming for TODAY while they are invading our country"

Wow. Just Wow. "Invading [your] country"? This is coming from a citizen of the country that invaded Iraq.
Can you say "War of Aggression"?
Can you say "Billions of dollars spent subjugating an entire people who don't believe in your beliefs"?
Can you say "Thousands of your military dead for a senseless war"?
Can you say "Thousands of innocent civilians killed by 'military intelligence'"?
And you’re angry about an ad campaign? You view Mexican's illegal immigration into the States as a coordinated effort to take back territory?

Am I missing something here?

Michael "I'm staying in Canada" [Last name deleted] (Sent Wednesday, April 09, 2008 12:23 PM)

JE is disgusted with America's superiority complex, and I am disgusted with the idea that the U.S. is the only nation to have a superiority complex. Sure, the U.S. took that land, either through theft or a war. But then, how did Mexico gain possession of it? Mexico was settled by as many conquerers as the U.S. That's why they call it "ciudad de Mexico" and not "Tenochtitlan."

Clint, Chicago, Illinois (Sent Wednesday, April 09, 2008 12:58 PM)

You have a point KM, in that the Mexican/Latino population is growing, and growing northward. I live in Indiana and from my observation, my town is approaching one-third hispanics now. But my opinion is that it is a good thing! They have no ambition to "invade" our country - they only want what most people want - to make a good life for themselves and their family. They have revitalized neighborhoods that were run down. They work hard and they have pride in their home and neighborhood. They are generally honest and respectful. I am as white as you get, but my favorite people are the hispanic people. And what God-given right do you or I have, that doesn't also belong to them?

mk (Sent Wednesday, April 09, 2008 1:08 PM)

My wife knew nothing about this ad campaign, though she listens to the news on the radio and reads newspapers.  Not sure what the big deal is.  Yes some people in the US take umbrage at this ad (and have every right to do so), but the bigger noise I see here and hear elsewhere is the umbrage being taken at the (supposed) amount of umbrage being taken.  A lot of people need to stop taking themselves so seriously (or maybe get out of the house more), not just the usual suspects.

KRW (Sent Wednesday, April 09, 2008 8:01 PM)

In defense of Absolut, I see absolutely no problem with presenting a historically accurate map that some might find 'more ideal.'  

In fact, let Absolut make other advertisements that hit closer to home.  Perhaps one ad could show historical maps of the German (or Swedish!) empire 'in an absolut world.'  Or maybe one that showed the Ottoman Empire at it's height, 'in an absolut world.'  Or hell, how about one that just shows Kosovo as part of Serbia again?

I'm sure all of those ads would go over pretty well.

Zachary, Bellevue, Wash. (Sent Thursday, April 10, 2008 2:11 PM)



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