Absolut ‘Streams’ All-Natural Message

NEW YORK Not so long ago it was all about its iconic bottle. In Absolut vodka’s new campaign breaking this week, however, fruit will take center stage.

Dubbed “Streams,” the new TV and print campaign, from TBWA\Chiat\Day, New York, plays up the all-natural ingredients in the Swedish brand’s nine flavored vodkas. In he ads, colorful streams flow by pears, mandarin oranges, peaches, lemons and other featured fruits. Tagline: “True Taste Comes Naturally.”

“The campaign is designed to showcase the real fruit flavor inherent in all of our flavored vodkas,” said Ian Crystal, brand director, in a statement. “We’ve noticed that the cocktail community has followed our lead by trending towards the use of fresh ingredients as well, and Absolut represents what flavored vodka is supposed to be.”

The print campaign breaks this week. The TV spots begin airing March 10 on FX, E!, Spike, A&E, Comedy Central and Logo. An international version of the campaign, dubbed “Dissection,” launches in the spring with TV and in-cinema spots appearing in Germany, Mexico and the United Kingdom.

“With the launch of ‘Streams’ and ‘Dissection,’ our creative goal was to differentiate the brand further from the competition,” said Rob Smiley, group creative director at TBWA\Chiat\Day, in a statement. “The creative is visually striking and bold, emphasizing the truly natural ingredients consumers can expect when drinking Absolut, and clarifying the rational benefits [to the consumer].”

Campaign spending was not revealed. In 2006, Absolut spent $25 million on measured media in the U.S. and $20 million through November 2007, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

The brand is currently up for sale, to the reported tune of more than $6 billion. Bacardi, Fortune Brands and Bacardi are among those vying for the prize. Diageo had also been in the running, but dropped out late last week, when it purchased Ketel One for $900 million.