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Absolut retreat puts California back in US hands

David Landes
David Landes - [email protected]
Absolut retreat puts California back in US hands

Amid a stampede of criticism, the makers of Absolut Vodka have pulled a controversial advertisement depicting large swathes of the United States as Mexican territory.

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“We’re really very sorry,” said Jacob Broberg, a spokesperson with Vin & Sprit, the company which manufactures the popular vodka brand, to The Local.

“The ad should never have been approved.”

The controversial ad featured a map depicting how America looked prior to 1848, when California was still part of Mexico. The ad was part of print and billboard campaign launched in Mexico as a part of the ‘Absolut World’ campaign, and was not meant for a US audience.

But word of the ad spread quickly through on-line and traditional media, sparking a firestorm of criticism directed at Absolut, accusing them of ignoring sensitivities related to the issue of Mexican immigration into the United States.

“We’ve really learned a lot from this experience,” said Broberg.

“There is no such thing as a local ad in a global world.”

Broberg wanted to assure the drinking public that Absolut was taking the controversy seriously, which was part of why the ad was pulled.

“We’re working to improve our marketing practices so that nothing like this happens again in the future,” he said.

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