No Sugarcoating
Absolut
Issue 49 | December 2018
Agency
360i
Creative Team
Chief Creative Officer, 360i: Menno Kluin Executive Creative Director, 360i: Frank Cartagena Executive Creative Director, 360i: Sam Shepherd Executive Creative Director, 360i: Ian Reichenthal Associate Creative Director, 360i: Michael Palma Associate Creative Director, 360i: Jenna Zink Senior Copywriter, 360i: Eleni Georgeou Senior Art Director, 360i: Casey Espinoza Senior Content Producer, 360i: Lorraine Schaffer
Production Team
Director: Steve Miller, Radical Media
Other Credits
Director of Conversations, Absolut: Simon de Beauregard Senior Digital Manager, Absolut: Jilly Gray Editor: John Piccolo, Bandit Editorial Group Account Director, 360i: Nicole Rousseau Account Supervisor, 360i: Alden Millar Strategy Director, 360i: Maggie Walsh SVP Integrated Media, 360i: Scott Daly Group Media Director, 360i: Emily Bell Media Supervisor, 360i: Brian Bochner Media Manager, 360i: Kaitlin Dorey Music: Music Better
Date
September 2018
Background
When Absolut launched Absolut Grapefruit – its latest citrus-flavored vodka made with no added sugar – it was the brand’s biggest innovation since the launch of Absolut Lime. To make a splash at launch, the brand set out to embrace the fast-growing popularity of citrus flavors while also tapping into its identity as “The Vodka With Nothing to Hide.” Thus the #NoSugarcoating campaign was born. It turns out that life, like Vodka, doesn’t always need sugarcoating.
Idea
To celebrate the launch of Absolut Grapefruit, the brand worked with Emmy-winning actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson (a.k.a. Mitchell from “Modern Family”) to prove how refreshing transparency can be with a series of humorous spots that remove the sugarcoated filters from relatable social scenarios. The series of 10 and 30 second videos remove the sugarcoated filter from relatable social scenarios. The seven spots include Ferguson dropping “truth bombs” during sometimes-awkward everyday encounters – like telling a loved one his or her boiled chicken looks, well, just gross. As a bold, audacious and original personality on and off screen, Ferguson was the perfect actor to sing through the less than sugarcoated responses that tell-it-like-it-is. The campaign was supported by cross-channel marketing efforts – designed to recruit the brand’s millennial target – with distribution focused on social platforms including Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and Connected TV.
Results
Absolut Grapefruit Coverage Totals To-date: - 88 Press Placements - 33,082,215 Media Impressions