Absolut Vodka is rolling out 4 million custom bottle designs in an effort to turn the limited-edition packaging trend into an effective personalized branding tactic.
Unlike other brands that roll out limited-edition package designs for cause marketing and seasonal marketing campaigns, Absolut is going a step further by creating 4 million unique bottle designs, each slightly different from the next and all with their own identifying number. The campaign tagline and copy reads, “Absolut Unique. One of a kind. Millions of expressions.”
As Gabriel Beltrone of AdWeek explains, the “exclusivity” of the promotion targets an audience who responds to campaigns that play to vanity and drives the desire to own one of a small number of collectible branded bottles or items. Gabriel writes, “The new Absolut is meant to deliver that same dopamine kick, on steroids.”
You can see the behind-the-scenes video from the Absolut marketing team that provides more details below:
The question is whether or not the personalized branding effort by Absolut will drive the results the company wants. Producing 4 million custom designs is a unique undertaking, and already, people are talking about the brand online as a result. Will consumers flock to stores to purchase their own unique bottles? How many people will purchase Absolut in order to get a custom bottle who would not have purchased Absolut otherwise?
Absolut’s advertising has always been creative and successfully personalized the brand to fit just about any occasion or audience you can think of. Limited-edition, personalized packaging seems like a good fit for the brand overall. I’d love to see some integrated marketing efforts such as Pinterest boards and Facebook contests where people who purchase the personalized bottles can share pictures of their designs and get even more exposure for the campaign and the Absolut brand across the social web. It’s the perfect place for the brand to extend its reach into the broader consumer conversation.
What do you think? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
Image: Absolut
Susan Gunelius is the author of 10 marketing, social media, branding, copywriting, and technology books, and she is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She also owns Women on Business, an award-wining blog for business women. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com and Forbes.com, and her marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, TodayShow.com, and more.
She has over 20 years of experience in the marketing field having spent the first decade of her career directing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. Today, her clients include large and small companies around the world and household brands like Citigroup, Cox Communications, Intuit, and more. Susan is frequently interviewed about marketing and branding by television, radio, print, and online media organizations, and she speaks about these topics at events around the world. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.
Wow, such a feat if you’d ask me. I’d like to collect some of those bottles! Thanks for this article, Susan. I’m sure that many people would love to join in in collecting Absolut bottles. Cheers!