A map in the ad depicts Mexico owning California, Texas, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and other U.S. territory, with the slogan, “In an Absolut World,” and panders to the “separatist” movement among Mexicans, according to the National Illegal Immigration Boycott Coalition (NIIBC).

The ad has sparked a number of boycotts of Absolut in the U.S. Rival vokda Skyy capitalized on the uproar and sent out a press release proudly supporting the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and criticizing Absolut for their offensive advertising in Mexico.”

I believe the Ad will seriouly damage Absolut sales in the U.S. for quite awhile.

Why run such an ad?

Sometimes, ad agencies propose running edgy ads to cut through the clutter.
Sometimes they propose running edgy ads to show how creative they are and impress colleagues at awards shows.

When it works everyone is happy. When it doesn’t – run for cover!

For the first time I felt compelled to comment on a review. Been meaning to do it for awhile. I wrote “…and 703 5-star reviews.”

My point is not that I like the book (so far, I do), but a high number of negative reviews or negative opinions on anything, can actually be a good thing. Especially if it also receives many more positive reactions. It means that it takes a stand, has a point of view. Evokes a strong reaction. That means you hit a nerve. Polarization  separates your audience- in this case, real fans from those who will never be fans.

Polarization works in marketing. When marketing receives a strong negative reaction, it could be a good thing, as long as it also receives a percentage of strong positive reactions. It means it gets noticed and sparks a reaction. In this day of cluttered messages, a message that gets through  can be a very good thing.