Absolut-ly Controversial: Mexico In An Absolut World Ad

• CheeseDuck
  April 5th, 2008 at 4:48 pm

  Take that Estados Unidos de America!

• Lea
  April 5th, 2008 at 4:51 pm

  I’m in Ohio and I understand it. Maybe people wouldn’t want California to float away if it was Mexican. Just an idea.
  I love Absolut ads in general. Very creative.

• Carruthers
  April 5th, 2008 at 5:17 pm

  Absolute garbage

• PotatoCouch
  April 5th, 2008 at 5:47 pm

  Living in Texas, I immediately understood the ad and I think it’s pretty clever. I’m not sure it would be warmly received by most Americans but I’m curious to know how it goes over in Mexico.

• E.T.Cook
  April 5th, 2008 at 5:47 pm

  That aggregated ancestral homeland is known as Aztlán.

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztl%C3%A1n

• Ola Amigo
  April 5th, 2008 at 6:22 pm

  This is just confusing. Liquor ads are supposed to have hot chics, showing you how popular with the ladies you’ll be when you drink enough Bud light or whatever. Didn’t know they were supposed to revist historical controversies. (BTW, we need McCain, Hillary and Obama to let us know what they think about this.)

• rdubs
  April 5th, 2008 at 6:27 pm

  As I recall from 5th grade history class, the U.S. kicked your asses south of the eventual border. And if you call it the “reclaimed homeland”, then why don’t you just fight us? I myself am antiwar, but if there was no retaliation for what we supposedly did, then that qualifies as complete surrender.

• Patricio
  April 5th, 2008 at 6:31 pm

  Get ready for an absolut boycott, amigos.

• Gorf
  April 5th, 2008 at 6:33 pm

  How idiotic… As if a Swedish brand (and an advertiser from who knows where) cares a damn about Mexico and its frontiers.

• Terry
  April 5th, 2008 at 6:36 pm

  Indonesians reckon the top half of Australia is Indonesia.

• liphttam1
  April 5th, 2008 at 6:41 pm

  OH GOD THE MEXICANS ARE COMING THE MEXACANS ARE COMING!!!!!!!!

• Obs
  April 5th, 2008 at 7:05 pm

  We have been taking it back for a while now.
  wetbacks? try occupators =)

• Geekazoid
  April 5th, 2008 at 7:14 pm

  Viva La Raza! (thought I’d put that in for good measure)

• Down and Out of Sài Gòn
  April 5th, 2008 at 7:16 pm

  Absolut Outrage? No. More like Absolut Storm in a Teacup… accompanied by displays of Absolut Petulance.

• Powell
  April 5th, 2008 at 7:18 pm

  I will absolutely not purchase that vodka again

• CheeseDuck
  April 5th, 2008 at 7:18 pm

  Absolut hangover!

• L
  April 5th, 2008 at 7:20 pm

  Amazing how offended some people get over something imaginary…

• bean
  April 5th, 2008 at 7:44 pm

  As someone whose Celtic/French-Canadian ancestors pioneered Colorado and founded the first government of any sort in Denver, that pisses me off. Just because Mexico claimed the land in their own form of manifest destiny doesn’t mean it was ever theirs in any real sense.

• Patricio
  April 5th, 2008 at 7:50 pm

  Funny thing is that Spanish Mexicans and other European-Mexicans stole all “their” land from the indigenous Mexican indians that were there for eons before them. Those Mexicans treated their native people like the Nazis treated the Jews.

  So, we stole it from Mexicans, who stole it from the Aztecs, who stole it from the Toltecs, who stole it from the……who gives a shit?

• Justin
  April 5th, 2008 at 8:06 pm

  I don’t understand why the billboard is in English if it was made for Mexico, or was it translated?

• empty-minded
  April 5th, 2008 at 9:04 pm

  I think in an absolute world there would be no borders, we’d all be drinking tequila and beer, and there would be tamales and beans and rice for all.

  Ole!!!

• caitlin13
  April 5th, 2008 at 9:11 pm

  L. is right, it’s amazing how quickly people get offended. It’s an advertisement! Get over it.

• DW
  April 5th, 2008 at 9:11 pm

  Mexico,,,a beautifull, rich, bountifull and corrupt country full of poor people. I suspect that if they would have kept their flimsy little empire together that situation would still exsist. We should have annxed that whole damn place, I’m positive the average Mexican would have been better off. Mexico could be so much better, although to be fair at the rate the US is going it wont be long before we are in the same condition. No middle class whatsoever to keep the rich in check.

• anathema
  April 5th, 2008 at 9:25 pm

  Justin, the reason it is presented in English is likely for two reasons. 1, its slogan is probably more recognizable in English even in foreign countries, and 2, because of the reconquista and la raza movement that would love to see that section of America declared Aztlan. However, I find la raza to be less nationalistic and more racist.

• DDT
  April 5th, 2008 at 9:46 pm

  “As someone whose Celtic/French-Canadian ancestors pioneered Colorado and founded the first government of any sort in Denver, that pisses me off. Just because Mexico claimed the land in their own form of manifest destiny doesn’t mean it was ever theirs in any real sense.”

  Because you have some sort of cultural heritage tied to the finding of the first government of Colorado, it becomes the spark to piss you off? Don’t get so full of yourself.

  Shit happens. Did you know at one point in Medieval Europe there was over 100 countries, maybe more? I guess we should start a campaign to bring back all the lost worlds, and reorganize all the borders for them. Should we bring back Rome and Carthage? Or how about the kingdom of Burgundy? Maybe we should restore the Ottomon empire, or the Mongol empire. Better yet, let’s bring back the Sumerians. It’s really annoying how people use that map as an argument of manifest destiny but never consider the fact that 1) they could be of Spanish decent and therefore have no say, or 2) could be from an indigenous tribe which may have been responsible for the annihilation of another tribe.

• Jennifer
  April 5th, 2008 at 9:58 pm

  @ Patricio

  Amen!

  Anyways, I’m getting really tired of the US bashing lately. It’s like no one ever wants to consider that maybe the US wasn’t the first to the role of Imperialist occupier (not that that situation is what happened with the western states - those were won in war, and I’m betting if Mexico had won that war and maybe claimed some northern lands they wouldn’t get viewed like the US does for it). Has no one the time to read any history books?

• Christophe
  April 5th, 2008 at 11:03 pm

  It could be worse : you could have been French

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:New-France1750.png

• Jerse
  April 5th, 2008 at 11:17 pm

  This map is what it should have looked like if Germany won WWI (which was very possible)…

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimmermann_Telegram

• Chimbles
  April 6th, 2008 at 12:14 am

  Ohhh c’mon, do we really need to get all hot headed over this. This is a vodka ad, you are not suppose to take those seriously anyways.

• Nathan Miller
  April 6th, 2008 at 12:15 am

  Texas was annexed in 1845.

  After we won the War of Independence in 1836. So even if the Mexican-American War had not occurred, the borders would not have looked like this. Texas won independence fair and square. [Actually, not fair, since often, the Texian army was 1/10th the size of the Mexican army, and General Santa Ana (Mexico) often killed prisoners in cold blood.]

• PancakeMan
  April 6th, 2008 at 1:48 am

  I just like how the person quoted believes nobody East of Texas wil understand this.

• ted
  April 6th, 2008 at 1:50 am

  Boundary disputes are the major excuse for violence in the Middle East: Israel and Palestine, Iraq and Kuwait…

  It doesn’t bother them going back to who originally owned what thousands of years ago.

• Jen
  April 6th, 2008 at 2:19 am

  Way to instigate, Absolut.
  Offending most of America seems like a pretty stupid marketing campaign.
  The ridiculous thing is that if the ad had been the United States flag over the entire continent it would be seen as egotistical and offensive.
  The people who think this whole issue of La Raza (racists who want Mexico to take control of parts ot eh U.S.) and the illegal problem really need to take a trip to Mexico and see what it is these people want our country to become. It’s not being racist or intolerant to recognize that Mexico is seriously a craphole and the parts of the U.S. that are being overrun with Mexican citizens are turning into crapholes, too. People who think otherwise can’t possibly live anywhere near these areas or they’d be as alarmed as those of us who are.
  This ad is not funny. It’s incredibly offensive and I will NEVER support this company.

• Oomi
  April 6th, 2008 at 2:58 am

  Absolute Vodka sucks anyhow.

• Indie
  April 6th, 2008 at 5:11 am

  Yeah, you can leave us swedes out of this. Absolut is now owned by the french.

• Kevin
  April 6th, 2008 at 5:39 am

  Ah the french. Ad makes sense now.

  And no one stole anything. IF the Mexicans would have won you better bet they would be drunk right now celebrating it, and calling it a victory and not them stealing anything off us.

  No, what we have is a bunch of sore losers still after centuries.

• DCGaymer
  April 6th, 2008 at 7:28 am

  Gosh….someone call Lou Dobbs. There’s a groudswell of vodka swilling mexican uber villains ready to redraw geopolitical boundries.

• Viola
  April 6th, 2008 at 7:32 am

  Controversy is the best form of advertisement.

  As offended as you all are getting regarding the jab Ucedo made at everyone west of Texas, he’s right. So many Americans can’t even tell you when the Declaration of Independence was signed; why would they know about some war with Mexicans?

• sd
  April 6th, 2008 at 9:51 am

  y’all need a nice glass of vodka and to chill the f**k out.

• Aldo
  April 6th, 2008 at 10:31 am

  Mexico “ceded” the land just because there was this threat to attack the whole country. There was no choice. American imperialism isn’t something new.

  This is actually a cruel ad lol.

• Thespian24601
  April 6th, 2008 at 11:49 am

  I get it, it’s creative, but I’m not quite sure why it’s in a liquor ad. Not a fan.

• Pol x
  April 6th, 2008 at 11:53 am

  man the sheer bad hearted ill will, bordering on outright racism, displayed by some of the arse clowns on here is truely shocking.

  What a bunch of sour bastards.

• relright
  April 6th, 2008 at 11:59 am

  It’s an advertisement not a threat

  end of story

• Kris
  April 6th, 2008 at 1:23 pm

  I’m another Texan who finds it clever!

• Gaby
  April 6th, 2008 at 2:42 pm

  this is whoa no words really, there are some really stupid people commenting here.

  @rdubs
  this is an AD, it’s a surprising concept, I know, but and ad doesn’t equal a threat. I find your comment rather confrontational specially coming from someone who claims to be “antiwar”.

  @Patricio
  That is exactly the irony of all this crap hah that the tru “owners” of all these land are now dying out.

  @DW
  Wouldn’t trade my “beautifull, rich, bountifull and corrupt country full of poor people” country for your “arrogant, cultureless, soon to be in recession, full of bloodthirsty war making people” country. Heh overly stupid generalization vs. another just as stupid generalization, see, works both ways

• shecky
  April 6th, 2008 at 3:19 pm

  It seems this ad is successful in bringing out the insecure moron in some folks. Lighten up, already!

• Dave
  April 6th, 2008 at 6:18 pm

  It’s just an ad, but there are plenty of things happening that make it seem like a there is maybe a plan behind a map like that. Just Google “Mexican invasion”.

• josh
  April 6th, 2008 at 7:45 pm

  Bad idea Absolut…being a Texan myself, I personally have no desire to purchase your vodka. You can be sure the ad would not go over well in Texas. No me gusta.

• JET
  April 6th, 2008 at 9:39 pm

  Talk about a litmus test. If this ad upsets you, you may be a paranoid nutcase.

• nero1000000
  April 6th, 2008 at 10:04 pm

  great advertisement!

• DW
  April 6th, 2008 at 10:07 pm

  @DW
  Wouldn’t trade my “beautifull, rich, bountifull and corrupt country full of poor people” country for your “arrogant, cultureless, soon to be in recession, full of bloodthirsty war making people” country. Heh overly stupid generalization vs. another just as stupid generalization, see, works both ways

  Yes, generalazations are hard to avoid and I know I sounded offensive but that was not what I wanted to convey, but bottom line: Why has a country so fricking rich never managed to make it over third world standards? The only conclusion I can come to is: It;s the people running the joint, and as I said the U.S. probably isnt far behind:)

• We are in some deep S#*^t
  April 6th, 2008 at 10:58 pm

  As much as we think this is about race it isnt it is about classism just look at whats going on in the border with the border fence
  O you havnt heard well let me tell you they are building this fence to keep illigals out or maybe to keep the US citizins in ones martial law is in accted anywho they are building in peoples properties by telling them to sign over there land and shit like that, but at the same time they are going to skip some very rich peoples properties espacialy people with ties to the bushes

  SO if you want to learn more go here http://www.turnmaineblue.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=839
  this is just one but they are all over if you look for it

  O one more thing if you guys remamber the battle of the alamo as well as i do then you might recall that texas was part of mexico So does that make the guys like sam houston that fought in the alamo terrorist?

  sorry for the misspeling in a hurry so gato go

• Lore
  April 7th, 2008 at 1:47 am

  Wow… some of ya’ll need to chill the f#*k out. It’s interesting how some controversy brings the racist, discriminatory and paranoids out of the woods. It’s an ad. It did what it was suppose to do. Get your attention. Good job Absolut. Way to market.

• Namowal
  April 7th, 2008 at 8:36 am

  I suspect Absolut knew full well that this would freak out some people, and it would get internet millage from the outraged. The “no publicity is bad publicity” thing.

• Padraig
  April 7th, 2008 at 9:43 am

  Jeez. *sigh*

  Other than that I find it amusing how much chagrin such an ad can cause. It’s obviously a massive success: the campaign is polemic and will draw partisan sympathy from all sides. However, it is somehow interesting to discern how it is sooo wrong to “bash” the USA, but some of the people who seem to have an issue with that don’t seem to have a problem “bashing” Mexico. Food for thought, folks, food for thought.

  A si, y para la raza: ya no anden lloriqueando. Ni queremos, ni necesitamos el terreno al norte. Mejor fijense en quien se esta comiendo nuestro pais, que no son los gringos, sino nuestror propios politicos. Como Santa Ana.

• Bruce
  April 7th, 2008 at 9:49 am

  The map is inaccurate. While the shape of the boarders generally accurate, it gives much more territory to Mexico than it had before the Mexican-American War.

  http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/First_Mexican_Empir e_Map.png

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:M%C3%A9xico_Divisi%C3%B3n_Pol%C3%AD tica-Rep%C3%BAblica_Central.png

• mixamillion
  April 7th, 2008 at 10:17 am

  Could you imagine a Mexican Hollywood? Vegas? ABSOLUT Mayhem!!

• CG
  April 7th, 2008 at 10:33 am

  funny, truth hurts?????

• matt
  April 7th, 2008 at 12:31 pm

  So then they’d be pouring over the border at Louisiana and Montana.

• Planck2023
  April 7th, 2008 at 4:04 pm

  Hey!! It is just an ad… Nothin else? Is there a lot of irrational people? People that only wants to “fight” a supposed “invasion” or “cultural mixings” and cultural change… People.. Welcome to the globalisation process… Nobody can get out of this planet… Just be a good citizen… Right? Unless that in the near or far far future a “white american” will be the “minority”… So? Does it matter? Of course not… A good citizen can be from Mexico also by the legal way…
  Why are american people so many times “crazy”? An ad is just an ad… It is just fiction…

  Planck2023

• Mekishiko-NoNeko
  April 7th, 2008 at 6:31 pm

  Dear rdubs:
  Because you don’t understand (and people like you) what the concept of “surrender” means, of course that is outside of US, and is why exactly, issues like the war over Iraq will continue indefinitely.

  Clueless Jen
  1.-La Raza = the people, and is not a group of racists (Good God!), 2.-if Mexico is a craphole, I wonder why so many babyboomers and springbreakers from US keep coming beyond the border to this craphole of a country 3.-And is only fear and prejudice what you are talking about, and that’s all

  And only for the record, Mexico don’t need the region beyond Rio Grande amigo, if I was stupid enough I would get angry for stuff like Gary Jenning’s “Aztec” or Mel Gibson’s “Apocalypto” or everytime Hollywood presents mexicans as “craphole”.

  And for everybody else, think… just think, it’s just an ad campaign, Plank2023 and Gaby are ABSOLUTE right, and DW brought me back some confidence in human kind, guess not everything is lost

  I’d thought this new generation would surpass issues like this one.

  And to understand some of the mexican psychic you need to read some books (including history books): El laberinto de la soledad y Tiempo Mexicano
  By reading these books you would probably understand why an ad like this would become succesful in Mexico and rather the opposite in US.

  Salute!

• calilax
  April 8th, 2008 at 9:57 am

  some people here need to learn there history.

  If santana was in charge in mexico, at the time of the america vs mexico war, then that means that spain was still in control of mexico, I still not sure why so many people think mexicans where the ones with the idea of a war when then where being oppress in there own country at the time.

  Santana was not mexican he was a spaniard, he ignore the mexican generals in some of the battles that other wise could have had a different outcome & in the end he run away like a coward.

• Justin Wagner
  April 8th, 2008 at 11:19 am

  it’s so interesting how it’s so shocking for Americans to see such as ad as this Absolute Vodka advertisement which basically states the south western U.S. belongs to Mexico. and yet, Americans see no problem with people such as those in Kosovo trying to steal land in Serbia. and even go so far as to condone the independence of the illegal declaration.

• Agustin
  April 8th, 2008 at 12:26 pm

  Wooow gringos realy get ungry when they look their history! Easy guys!! mexicans are not gona take back that territory, its in the past for us, i dont know if you are that afraid about mexican inmigration, yeah we are coming back but its still your territory, you can do wathever you want… and you dont need to say shit about mexicans, Absolut is not a mexican company and it wasnt a mexican idea!! If your feel bad about this advertisment may be is because you know that some time in the history you stole our territory.

• eduardo
  April 8th, 2008 at 12:41 pm

  Si hubiera parque, ustedes no estarian aqui!
  Gral. Pedro María Anaya

• Kellie
  April 8th, 2008 at 2:20 pm

  Absolute got just what they wanted and more. “it’s just an ad” is not what any advertising firm wants you to think when you look at their campaigns…they want controversy. However I don’t think they thought it would be this bad….pretty stupid to think it wouldn’t royally piss people off. For all of you who say relax it’s no big deal, the ad was meant to send a powerful message and to be noticed. Pretty insulting to an entire country of potential customers if you ask me.

• Octavio
  April 8th, 2008 at 7:23 pm

  Why do you get so angry? In Mexico City it isnt a big deal, just for republicans and rednecks its a big deal.
  There are many things to talk about to be constructive.
  Im mexican and i like the us but for live there is a bad country a lot of hate hate hate.
  Remember all you need is love.

• Victor
  April 8th, 2008 at 9:42 pm

  Oh come on!! It’s only marketing!!
  Why are u crying!!
  You must admited that is funny thats all!!

• Scott Mason
  April 9th, 2008 at 9:02 am

  I personally am infuriated by this ad. I made a shelf hanger to hang underneath Absolut bottles in your local liquor store. Download and share here if you agree;

  http://rapidshare.com/files/106111567/Absolut_Boycott.pdf.html

• Giannis Zymaris
  April 10th, 2008 at 10:59 pm

  Now Americans can get a small taste of what the Greeks go through with the Slavs that insist on calling themselves “Macedonians”!

  And this is just a stupid add, mind you! Imagine Mexico actually changing its name to Texas and amending its constitution to include a clause calling for the liberation of their “Northern brothers”.

  And the Bush administration was the first to recognize the FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA as a sovereign state - only because the Oil Consortium wants to built the AMBO pipeline through their territory…

  So, if ever Texas or California get sold back, you need not look further: probably some Oil Conglomerate wants to avoid some taxes…

• Enrique Corgan
  April 12th, 2008 at 7:23 pm

  It’s just an ad, don’t get angry, we live in an area (USA and Mexico) full of ignorant people, and that’s for different reasons. Mexico has a rotten educational system, and the US is an enormous factory of a population who’s living in a lie, that’s the reality for our countries, like it or not, we have to work together…

• ze
  April 13th, 2008 at 11:14 pm

  A video about this.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J87406ioGms

• lauf_out_loud
  April 14th, 2008 at 9:22 pm

  check it

  http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/8195/absolutwq9.jpg

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