Independent creative agency, Impero, has worked with Absolut to take over part of the busy Schiphol Airport Retail space in Amsterdam to launch the new limited edition Absolut Warhol bottle that celebrates the rediscovery of Warhol’s ”Absolut Blue” painting, and reaffirms Absolut’s commitment to creativity which began almost 40 years ago with the first Warhol collaboration in 1985.
The campaign is part of the vodka brand’s first major global travel retail campaign since it added the creative agency Impero to their roster as strategic and creative agency for below-the-line activation.
Impero developed the launch positioning and retail activation toolkit for the campaign, which broke this week with an immersive, gallery-inspired Absolut Warhol brand experience at Schiphol.
As part of the experience, shoppers can wander through doorways shaped like the Absolut bottle and relax on bespoke blue velvet seating while watching Warhol-inspired animated visuals. The branding is carried over to other sites in Schiphol’s retail space, and shoppers are invited to “own an Absolut Warhol” by becoming one of the first people in the world to get their hands on the exclusive bottle, as well as getting a free print of Warhol’s artwork with every purchase.
The bottle itself has been designed in collaboration with the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. It was inspired by the rediscovery of a ‘blue’ Absolut painting by Warhol in 2019. It was the second of two Warhol paintings commissioned by Absolut, but was largely forgotten, while the first design, with brightly coloured letters on a black background, went on to become a design icon.
Alex Palmer, Business Director at Impero, said: “Absolut’s brief to Impero was a simple and exciting one – get the iconic Absolut Warhol bottle into as many hands as possible. Our strategic starting point was to treat the bottle itself like a piece of art and give people the chance to own a Warhol. Bringing the campaign to life in GTR allowed us the chance to really amplify that idea in the retail space and give shoppers a way to not only purchase the bottle, but to celebrate these two icons of pop culture coming together.”
The GTR campaign is being run globally this summer at airports including London Heathrow, Dubai International, São Paulo, Sydney, Madrid and Santo Domingo.
Impero was appointed to Absolut’s roster of agencies in 2023, adding to its portfolio of Pernod-Ricard brands including Chivas Regal, Jameson and The Glenlivet.
