Sometimes you have to be a bit drunk to be sincere, to say what you really think or to unveil something about yourself that, when sober, you'll never dare confessing. After this short preface, you will probably understand why I can't help smiling looking at the new Absolut Colors website that celebrates the rainbow flag and invites users to come out online and share their story on the site itself.

Actually Absolut Colors project is very serious (and this is why I don't fully understand/appreciate the coming out feature on the site) and aims at raising money to support Aids charity associations by selling a limited edition bottle that reminds of the rainbow bottle.

So it's good to see Absolut supporting gay & lesbian rights as well as AIDS prevention however, from a purely marketing perspective, I don't like the fact they have forced a space for user generated content on the site. Which, by the way, at the moment looks still pretty empty.

This feels like an advertiser badly ripping off what PostSecret.com has been doing (with integrity) for years. And while it is an interesting Absolute is targeting the gay community, it is not surprising there are very few people participating in the project. Who would want to share a personal story with a brand or a company or so an advertisement gains more attention? Apparently not many.

Posted by: Nancy King at July 2, 2008 04:52 PM

What's the benefit to the company? Pepsi and other prods don't feel the need for "gay" space or ads, why is vodka so different?

Absolute has had so many successful campaigns, perhaps they have too many cooks in the kitchen on this one.

Posted by: coffii_howz at July 8, 2008 04:56 PM