During my trip to Kristianstad, the home town of Absolut Vodka, local business people told me that the acquisition of their beloved brand by Pernod Ricard has helped. The company now does tours, and is prouder of its culture.
I initially had some concerns over the acquisition—readers can find my rants about globalization and state asset sales elsewhere. However, as far as consumers go, things continue to be rosy in southern Sweden.
Absolut has always been commercially savvy when it came to global marketing. Little has changed on that front, with four new limited-edition pitchers designed by urban street artists Stephen Powers (of New York) and Chiho Aoshima (青島千穂, Tokyo), featuring contemporary custom-designed artwork.
The series is called Absolut Art of Sharing (more at absolut.com/newzealand). The pitchers will be available for NZ$34·99 in New Zealand, from early June at leading liquor outlets.
HP, GHD launch Sex and the City 2 products
TAFE NSW shows graduate collections at RAFW