Absolut Mexico

This story touches on so many issues of interest to communication studies -- advertising, intercultural communication, media and politics, crisis communication, and more -- that I just had to post it here.

Absolut Vodka has apologized for an ad that ran in Mexico with an old map showing the southwest United States as part of Mexico "In an Absolut World."

The ad, according to Fox News, provoked heated comments on Internet blogs and Web sites and a call for a boycott by U.S. consumers.

Here's what Absolut Vice President of Corporate Communications Paula Eriksson had to say on Absolut's own blog:

The In An Absolut World advertising campaign invites consumers to visualize a world that appeals to them -- one they feel may be more idealized or one that may be a bit "fantastic." As such, the campaign will elicit varying opinions and points of view. We have a variety of executions running in countries worldwide, and each is germane to that country and that population.

This particular ad, which ran in Mexico, was based upon historical perspectives and was created with a Mexican sensibility. In no way was this meant to offend or disparage, nor does it advocate an altering of borders, nor does it lend support to any anti-American sentiment, nor does it reflect immigration issues. Instead, it hearkens to a time which the population of Mexico may feel was more ideal.

As a global company, we recognize that people in different parts of the world may lend different perspectives or interpret our ads in a different way than was intended in that market. Obviously, this ad was run in Mexico, and not the US -- that ad might have been very different.

Her post has generated over 1500 comments since Friday. You can view the thread here. (Interestingly, Absolut requires you to fill in a birthdate to access their site.)

Super Bowl Ads: More Humor, More Animals, Fewer Celebrities

There was more -- though not necessarily better -- humor than ever before in this year's crop of Super Bowl ads, according to an updated interactive analysis on the New York Times Web site, but it was more likely to be delivered by animals than by celebrities.

85% of the ads featured humor, the highest percentage in the 25 years tracked on the Times site. At the same time, 43% of the ads featured animals, also a record. And, for the first time, there were more ads with animals than with celebrities. (32% featured celebrities, up from last year but below the record 40% in 2003.)

The Times analysis provides an interactive look at Super Bowl ads from 1984 to 2008. Use the slider at the top of the screen to move through the years. For each year, it shows a count of the number of ads in different product categories (vehicles, beverages, travel, food, etc.) plus the percentage of ads featuring humor, animals, and celebrities. Selected ads can be viewed on screen.

"Video Snacking": Prime Time on the Web

"In cubicles across the country, lunchtime has become the new prime time," reports the New York Times, and content producers and advertisers are taking notice.

Office workers frequently spend at least part of their lunch hour watching short videos -- "video snacking" -- and while this midday spike is not new, according to the Times, the response of media companies is new.

The article describes how media organizations, including CNN, NBC, local television stations and newspapers, and others, are creating programming specifically targeted at the lunchtime Web crowd. Advertisers and marketers are paying attention too, with some reporting that "consumers are up to 30 percent more likely to make a purchase after viewing an advertisement at lunchtime than at other times of the day."

What Do You Mean "No Ads"?

Online access to thousands of newspapers and magazines has been a great boon to researchers in communication and other fields.

Unlike most academic journals, however, many of these publications are available online in text only. That means no ads, and that can be a problem if it's advertising that you want to study.

There are exceptions, and you'll find links to some good sources of ads in the Advertising & Public Relations research guide.

But for many newspapers and general and special interest magazines access to ads means going to the print (if we have it) or to microfilm (where color and quality are lost.)

If you need help finding ads from a particular publication or of a particular type, just ask.  There may be other ways to find what you need.

Super Bowl Ads: Great Online Analysis

The New York Times Web site has a terrific interactive look at Super Bowl ads from 1984 to 2007. Use the slider at the top of the screen to move through the years. For each year, it shows a count of the number of ads in different product categories (vehicles, beverages, travel, food, etc.) plus the percentage of ads each year that featured humor, animals, and celebrities. 2007 had the highest percentage of ads with humor (72%) of any year, though there's no analysis of the quality of the humor. Selected ads can be viewed on screen.