Subculture In the Capitalism: Absolut Metropolis Ad Campaign

Absolut Vodka incorporates the subculture of gothic into its advertising campaign when the subculture undergoes commodification before marketed back as a profit making machine. The “eleven aliens – cyberclub kids, hillbilly, doll artist”, the dissonant voices, are “incorporated back into the society”, undergoing the “process of normalisation and distortion”. (Paul Ricoer’s Lecture on ideology and utopia 1986, cited in Screen Machine) Take notice of the eye patch and the hair accessory- they are all designed in Absolut bottle shape.

Absolut tapped Japanese Gothic cutlture for its ad campaigns. In the spring of 2005, the vodka company invited eleven aliens – cyber club kids, a hillbilly, a doll artist – to get off the streets of Japan and interpret the Absolut brand. Each created a costume inspired by the iconic Absolut bottle that also reflects his or her own distinctive character. The company created an Absolut Metropolis website with photo outtakes, interviews with each contributor, personal pics (Manamu shows a range of costumes), wallpapers, and moody behind-the-scenes videos. Absolut Metropolis ads here. The special features are available on the Absolut Metropolis website.

Source: LA CARMINA. Gothic Lolita Fashion
Pictures: http://www.advertnews.com/pix/absolut-print.jpg
http://www.artthrob.co.za/03nov/images/absolut01a.jpg
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