International marketing communication: Absolut Vodka case

Résumé du document

We decided to study Absolut Vodka which constitutes the third largest international spirit in the world. Absolut Vodka is a Swedish brand belonging to the public group Vin & Spirit. It is very successful and famous for the quality of its vodka and also for its special position in the market, the differentiation. Thanks to very creative advertising campaigns, the marketers have created awareness that will lead to trial and then to a decision making purchase. What is more, in 2002, Forbes Magazine ranked Absolut Vodka as the world's number one luxury brand.

Absolut Vodka is very famous for its marketing and advertising campaigns that have won over 350 awards over the years. As a creative brand with great trend-awareness, it always considers it fundamentally important to update permanently its image and awareness using cutting-edge communication channels. Absolut Vodka gets coverage in every medium, but uses especially in the the ads: a picture of the bottle with a two or a three word caption starting with the word "Absolut" and often saying something complementary about the product. Furthermore, the brand takes great advantages of using the buzz marketing as a strategy to market its products (record player in the street, etc). All advertising campaigns are based on the development of a strong memorable identity for the brand through image advertising, an image that will appeal to product users.

Extraits

[...] In order to control the results, we must measure the gaps between the objectives and the results obtained. For the first objective, increase by our market share on this segment, we will just need to measure the evolution of the market shares month on month. For the increase in sales, the same excersise will be repeated. If we don't get enough market shares and sales volume the first year, we will need to rethink our strategy. For this, we will create a team of professionals consultants who will be able to target our problem and solve it. [...]

[...] The traditional brandy /cigar should be changed to vodka ice / cigar. There are also new customers entering the market. These could be young people who just completed their 21st birthday, the non-drinkers who will be attracted by our impressive campaign. Our specific objective is to target these groups. In short, the switchers, the middle aged drinkers and the new and young entrants. Positioning statement The position of our brand is very important because this is what differentiates us from the other brands of spirits . [...]

[...] Advertising plays a significant role in the promotion of Absolute Vodka. The core principle of the marketing concept of the brand is to combine Advertising, PR and sales promotion. The key is Continuity and Variety. Now that we have seen the Marketing Mix that has allowed us to examine the main characteristics of the brand, we are going to see what the target audience of the brand is and how it positions itself. Targeting and Positioning Most people who buy vodka (not only Absolut Vodka) are students and young people approximately aged between20 to 35 years . [...]

[...] If the results are too low (poor market shares or low sales), we will stop the campaign and redistribute the budget in other areas. [...]

[...] Absolut art had begun and the Absolut Vodka bottle became something of a modern icon. Therefore, we can say the IMC are communicating the 3 brand values loud and clear: Clarity, Simplicity and Perfection. SWOT analysis STRENGTHS Unique producing source: - Every bottle of ABSOLUT Vodka is produced in Ähus, in southern Sweden. Producing its vodka in only one location using local raw materials gives ABSOLUT complete control of all stages of production. This strategy of one source and just-in-time production (The JIT as famously heard in Toyota's assembly line as well) gives Absolut a unique advantage in an increasingly crowded market. [...]