On December the 1st the French Chamber of Commerce arranged the after-work seminar entitled Absolut branding together with the member companies Grant Thornton and Pernod Ricard.

Björn von Matern, Brand Experience responsible at Absolut, started out resuming the thrilling history of Absolut vodka. ABSOLUT VODKA was introduced in the US in 1979 but its Swedish origins are dating back to 1879 and all Absolut Vodka sold in the world still comes from the small village Åhus in Sweden. The Swedish origin is very important for the brand and when Pernod Ricard acquired the company 3 years ago the message was clear to preserve and protect the Swedish origin of the brand.

Back in the 70’ees a New York agency was given the mission to do things in a different way and they started the “Bottle ads”, a concept that has became so well known that the ads later on have been done without the bottle itself and only the shape of the bottle. The ads were also adapted to the local context at the different markets. 1.200 different Absolut “bottle ads” have been created and published. At that time the shape of the bottle was very different and kind of “silly” whereas all other brands of vodka looked kind of the same. 

In 1985 Absolut started the first cooperation project with Any Warhol and this was the start of numerous projects with different artists, musicians, designers etc. The Absolut brand represents creativity, design, art, fashion and glamour.
In 2002 the Absolut Vanilla flavor was launched and today there are about 15 different Absolut flavors in the world. Globally almost 100 million litres Absolut are sold per year.   

Anne Palmqvist, Category Manager Absolut Vodka at Pernod Ricard Sweden, then talked about how they work with the brand Absolut in Sweden. Absolut is the market leader by far on the Swedish market and sales have increased through the new owner Pernod Ricard since Pernod has a big network in the “on-trade” distribution channel (bars & restaurants). Swedes are proud of Swedish products, such as Absolut, but there are two paradoxes: alcohol is seen as a special product with negative connotations and there are strong alcohol restrictions in Sweden. However, Absolut has a good brand image: Swedish, traditional, stylish and sexy). It is not a vodka but Absolut.

No promotion is permitted in Sweden but since Swedes travel a lot they have often seen the ads abroad. In May 2011 Absolut Svea, the first Swedish limited edition, was launched. The bottle is designed by a Swedish artist and it’s a new flavor of apple and ginger.

Henrik Hedberg and Bradley Albright, both from Grant Thornton, then shared some of their experience in relation to valuation and tax aspects on trademark issues. After the presentations the participants were invited to the Absolut bar where the barmen prepared delicious drinks with Absolut Svea.

Here below some photos from the event:



Björn vom Matern




Anne Palmqvist



The speakers of the seminar



The Absolut bar




Adecco appreciated the drinks



and so did Charlotte Loyau-Khan, Jean-Claude Celle and Anne Palmqvist

Absolut Svea by Fredrik Söderberg