ABSOLUT sees 20/20 in 2008

ABSOLUT(R) VODKA, the world’s most iconic spirits brand, launches ABSOLUT Visionaries, an initiative that engages consumers and some of the world’s leading creative luminaries within the media, arts and entertainment fields to express their clever and daring ideals for life In An ABSOLUT World.

As part of its overall ‘In An ABSOLUT World’ advertising campaign, ABSOLUT will showcase the bold and optimistic projects from style-makers such as Kanye West, Eddie Izzard, Perez Hilton, Pablo Francisco, Jim Denevan, various Live Earth Filmmakers, The Sartorialist and editors from Thrillist.com, Flavorpill.com and Treehugger.com at http://www.absolut.com. ABSOLUT is also encouraging consumers to submit their visions and participate in the dialogue within the interactive online Visionaries community.

“When we created the ‘In An ABSOLUT World’ campaign, we asked ourselves ‘What if everything in the world was approached with the same ideal as we approach ABSOLUT vodka?’ With the Visionaries program, we are opening that question to the rest of the world to spark conversations and challenge the status quo,” said Ian Crystal, Brand Director, ABSOLUT Vodka. “ABSOLUT has a history of collaborating with the artistic community, and we will continue in that tradition, while also inspiring consumers to engage with us and each other.”

Two of the first ABSOLUT Visions will be available to consumers in real time, as well as online. As official sponsor of the Live Earth Film Series, ABSOLUT will be touring the film series, a collection of humorous, pithy and serious dialogues about the effects of global warming, to more than 70 film festivals around the country this year. As well, The ABSOLUT Machines, designed by Dan Paluska and Jeff Lieberman, both with a background from M.I.T., have created the “ABSOLUT Quartet,” an automated multi-instrumental orchestral machine. ‘In An ABSOLUT World Would Machines Be Creative?’ is the question that inspired The ABSOLUT Quartet, which consists of three instruments and thousands of parts working together to create one piece of music, inspired by inputs from online users around the globe. The ABSOLUT Quartet will be available for viewing from February thru April at 186 Orchard Street in New York City.

Below is a list of some of the ABSOLUT Visionaries and their visions:
-- Absolut Machines – ‘IN AN ABSOLUT WORLD Would Machines Be Creative?’ (http://www.absolutmachines.com)
-- Owen Benjamin – ‘IN AN ABSOLUT WORLD Everything Would Be ABSOLUT’
-- Andre Des Rochers – ‘IN AN ABSOLUT WORLD Lonely Loves Lonely’
-- Flavorpill – Flavorpill will be producing a series of 100 visions over the course of the year tied to their mission of covering cutting-edge art, music, fashion and cultural events
-- Zach Galifianakis + Tim & Eric– ‘IN AN ABSOLUT WORLD Friends Would Get Together More Often’
-- Lauren Gropper – ‘IN AN ABSOLUT WORLD Buildings Would Produce Energy Instead of Consuming It’
-- Perez Hilton – ‘IN AN ABSOLUT WORLD Perez Hilton Is Dead;’ ‘IN AN ABSOLUT WORLD Perez Hilton Is A God’
-- Live Earth Filmmakers – ‘IN AN ABSOLUT WORLD None Of These Films Would Be Necessary’ (http://www.liveearth.org/films.php)
-- The Sartorialist – ‘IN AN ABSOLUT WORLD The Street Is The Runway’
-- Team Facelift – ‘IN AN ABSOLUT WORLD Everyone Is Too Busy Dancing’
-- Thrillist - ‘IN AN ABSOLUT WORLD All Your Spam Would Be True’
-- TreeHugger – ‘IN AN ABSOLUT WORLD Everything Would Be Downloadable’

Through the ABSOLUT Visionaries program, ABSOLUT aims to create the world's biggest community of visionaries - a dynamic place where everyone, notables and consumers alike, has the chance to rate, comment on, even interact with and improve the visions of everyone else. Once a consumer submits their vision, the vision will be open for viewing and voting. If a vision acquires enough points and is rated among the most interesting, witty, provocative and inspiring, ABSOLUT will then bring that vision to life. Realized Visions will also be posted on http://www.absolut.com.