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Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Absolut Vodka advertising campaign is the way in which it has been received. The ad agents themselves marvel at how the campaign has managed to acquire such a loyal and immense following which now includes collectors as young as nine years old. Indeed, it seems as though American third graders have been observed trading the print ads in much the same way baseball cards are haggled over. Absolut account director at TBWA Chiat/Day and author of Absolut Book, Richard W. Lewis recalls that, "Librarians would have to hide certain magazines at school libraries because the ads were getting ripped off. I heard about newsstand dealers who were ripping them out of publications and selling them"(Rothenberg, p. 69). Some more stringent librarians have suggested "placing 'tattle tape' on Absolut ads (which sets off theft detection devices) and crossing out or stamping the ads, rendering them useless to collectors"(St. Lifer & Rogers, p. 18). Countless World Wide Web sites have sprung into existence to facilitate the incredible volume of wheeling and dealing (of the ads) that takes place. The AACML Whereabouts List goes so far as to provide a catalog of publications in which the ads have appeared to direct savvy collectors to new quarries. All of this, it seems, has shifted the burden of recognition, felt by most advertisers simply vying for the viewer's attention, to the collector who must actively seek out new ads. Inevitably, the question arises: "Why are people so interested in these ads?" |