Re: The Power of Persuasion

Looking back, I think the most influential campaign I remember seeing was for Absolut Vodka. Way before drinking age, I was collecting ads and hanging them on my wall. It had nothing to do with the actual vodka (I had never even tried it), but how creative and innovative the ads were. Each one was well thought out and had that 'Aha' moment that made you think, 'I really wish I had thought of that!'.

What was so great about the campaign was that no two ads were alike, they were constantly changing and it had very strong running power, it ran for most my adolescent years. I recently found a large stack of them that I had kept in my parents basement. The fact that I found some reason to keep them 15-20 years later speaks volumes on the campaign and its effect on me.

In terms of persuasion, I absolutely looked at Absolut differently than other brands when it did come time to drink. Today, I see many campaigns that tug at emotions in order to persuade, as many of you guys wrote about in your blog. However, the campaign for Absolut made the brand seem impressive and familiar without wrenching some deep emotion. Each ad was just good, creative advertisement.