Absolut in Bed with Kanye West

Absolut is making their opinions of America quite clear. As if their pandering to the fantasy of Aztlan wasn’t enough, they are also sponsoring Kanye “Bush is racist doesn’t care about black people” West’s coming North American tour.

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NEW YORK (Billboard) – Hip-hop star Kanye West has signed a sponsorship deal with Absolut 100 Vodka for his North American tour, which begins April 16 at Seattle’s Key Arena.

Absolut will sponsor after-parties in each tour city, a statement said. The tour, which wraps May 30 at Calgary’s Saddledome, will also feature Lupe Fiasco, N*E*R*D and, on most dates, Rihanna.

And it gets better. According to a press release on the company’s web site, West is a “visionary.”

On February the 27th, ABSOLUT® VODKA, the world’s most iconic spirits brand, will premiere Visionaries, a series of collaborations between ABSOLUT and some of the world’s leading creative lights in which the brand realizes their visions. Bold ideas that can only happen ‘In An ABSOLUT World’.

The initiative is the real life interpretation of “In An Absolut World”, Absolut’s new advertising campaign. Among the first visionaries launching their visions in 2008 will be style-makers such as Kanye West, Perez Hilton, Eddie Izzard and various Live Earth Filmmakers as well as editors from Thrillist.com, Treehugger.com and Style.com. Their visions of an ABSOLUT world  – and many more will be presented on absolut.com throughout the spring.

One can only guess what kind of ”bold ideas” the “visionary” Kanye West is going to come up with for his Absolut World. But I suspect this is a small sample of what we are in for:

UPDATE: Michelle Malkin has more on the outrage sparked by Absolut, including more Photoshop pictures, reader comments, and this “apology” from Absolut.

The In An Absolut World advertising campaign invites consumers to visualize a world that appeals to them — one they feel may be more idealized or one that may be a bit “fantastic.” As such, the campaign will elicit varying opinions and points of view. We have a variety of executions running in countries worldwide, and each is germane to that country and that population.

This particular ad, which ran in Mexico, was based upon historical perspectives and was created with a Mexican sensibility. In no way was this meant to offend or disparage, nor does it advocate an altering of borders, nor does it lend support to any anti-American sentiment, nor does it reflect immigration issues. Instead, it hearkens to a time which the population of Mexico may feel was more ideal.

As a global company, we recognize that people in different parts of the world may lend different perspectives or interpret our ads in a different way than was intended in that market. Obviously, this ad was run in Mexico, and not the US — that ad might have been very different.

By Paula Eriksson, VP Corporate Communications, V&S Absolut Spirits

Boycott Absolut Vodka!