Absolut Chooses Travel Retail Channel For Keith Haring Launch

Forbes

12 hours ago

Absolut Haring launches from Monday, exclusively in travel retail stores until October.
Following the success of the Absolut Warhol launch last year—said to be the biggest artist edition yet from the brand—Pernod Ricard's Absolut Vodka has, today, launched Absolut Haring, honoring another pop-artist icon from the same 1980's era: Keith Haring. And this time the drinks multinational is introducing the product exclusively into the travel channel ahead of global domestic markets.
Haring's mission was to take art off the museum walls and make it accessible to everyone, be it through graffiti or street art. He forged his own path by using social activism to tackle issues like AIDS, which was becoming a killer epidemic at the time; apartheid; and gay rights.
Pernod Ricard has aimed to capture Haring's spirit of adventure and creativity in the new Absolut artist edition bottle. It reworks his original Absolut artwork from 1986 with a modern twist, blending some of Haring's signature elements—bold 'action' lines, electric colors, and dancing figures—into the design.
At the recommendation of his friend Andy Warhol, Haring became the second artist to work on the Absolut bottle, some 40 years ago. He placed its silhouette center stage and the Haring piece became a 1986 Absolut campaign classic.
The core promo design and bottle harks back to this, featuring Haring's vibrant red lines and a dancing crowd of figures, set against a yellow canvas. The energetic imagery is offset by the deep blue of the Absolut logo.
Keith Haring: a celebration of movement
David Stark, founder and CEO of global licensing and creative agency Artestar which represents the Keith Haring Studio, commented: 'Our mission is to keep Keith Haring's spirit alive by continuing to expand access to his art and the important messages within it. This project with Absolut revives a moment that meant so much to Keith—not just creatively, but symbolically. It's a wonderful tribute that allows anyone to engage with this special story that started back in 1986.'
From left: Artist Andy Warhol (1928-1987), model and singer Grace Jones, and artist Keith Haring ... More (1958-1990) attending an American Foundation for AIDS Research fundraiser in New York City, May 1st, 1986. (Photo by)
The Absolut brand, which has collaborated with 500 different artists over the years, describes the new bottle and design as 'a piece of 3D kinetic art that transforms the original painting into something you can hold, admire, and toast with friends.' Naturally, there is also a signature cocktail to go with the launch: the Absolut Haring Fizz which is an east-meets-west fusion of ingredients: crisp apple, zesty orange, toasted sesame, and a kick of ginger.
Deb Dasgupta, VP global marketing at Absolut Vodka, commented at a press conference for the launch: 'It was always going to be difficult to top our last artist edition from Andy Warhol. But who better to follow him than his friend and fellow pop artist Keith Haring. He was literally democratizing art before Instagram and Pinterest.'
London's Gatwick among first to have Haring
Absolut Haring will land at several airport locations from July 1.. Among them will be London's Gatwick Airport through Avolta's large duty-free stores where a pop-up vending machine will serve up some exclusive Absolut Haring merchandise for buyers with a receipt. The brand is also promising eye-catching 3D billboards at major air hubs like London Heathrow and Sydney.
At Heathrow, Absolut is teaming up with Uber for an add-to-wallet campaign that will allow travelers to get a gift voucher en-route to the airport that can be used towards a bottle purchase. Exclusivity in the airport channel will last until around October when Absolut Haring will land in more than 40 markets including Germany, the UK, Mexico, Canada, Australia, China, Italy, Spain, and Poland, but for a limited time only.
The decision to launch at airports first is because of the combination of commercial impact, with so many travelers passing through the stores; and the space for brand storytelling in a premium, high visibility environment where potential shoppers are already in a discovery mindset and ready to part with their cash.
Absolut is expecting its Keith Haring launch to be its biggest yet. Here the artist is photographed ... More with one of his paintings in April 1984. Photo by.
Pernod Ricard GTR brand director Rae Gibson told me: 'Commercially, the Absolute Warhol edition did better than previous editions. A lot of that was due to the amount of support we gave to the launch; it was a major step change in how we activated and drove cultural relevance, not just being another vodka promotion. And I think Absolute Haring will do better because we have taken learning from past launches.'
Dasgupta added: 'Success for us is not just commercial. Our Absolut artist editions are a way to keep the brand relevant, contemporary, and engaging for our audience and ensure the brand stays at the forefront of culture.'