Online Absolut Ads Stress Moderation

The makers of Absolut vodka are rolling out an online ad campaign that stresses moderate use of alcohol, the New York Times reported March 9.

The ’Recognize the Moment’ campaign urges drinkers to “enjoy with Absolut responsibility,” and includes a tool that allows individuals to text-message themselves reminders about watching their drinking, video clips on responsible drinking, and links to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and other websites. A “Moderation is Key” section describes the effects of alcohol and expert opinion on the definition of moderate drinking.

The campaign is expected to be extended to Facebook. Tim Murphy, vice president of marketing for Absolut, said the goal is to use “a language consumers can relate to, talking to them almost like a friend, staying away from being too preachy.”

“Rather than shaking a finger and saying, ’No, you shouldn’t do this’ or ’No, you shouldn’t do that,’ we want to give people the tools to make their own decisions,” added Jennifer Ryan, senior vice president at Porter Novelli, the ad agency that created the campaign.

“It’s a nice effort that looks good on its face,” said George A. Hacker, director for the Alcohol Policies Project at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “But it’s fluff when it comes to the real need for information on the potential down sides of alcohol consumption.”