With Andy Warhol’s first iconic interpretation of the ABSOLUT bottle, ABSOLUT introduced the world to modern creative collaboration between artist and brand. The brand explored the worlds of art, fashion, music and film. ABSOLUT had created a model – and over time, other brands began to follow.

ABSOLUT needed to rethink creativity. To find a new way to express it – to return to what had made the brand famous 30 years ago.

ABSOLUT decided to collaborate with a new generation of artists. Instead of asking them to interpret its bottle, the new campaign invited artists to interpret the brand itself.Our first collaboration was with visionary filmmaker Spike Jonze. Our objective was to create not just an advertisement for our brand, but a legitimate film that would push the definition of “branded content.”I’m Here was a touching short film that told the story of ABSOLUT’s brand philosophy – how creativity can transform our world.

Applying a Hollywood film release strategy, trailers were created to generate buzz and interest. The film was entered into the Sundance International Film Festival, and was given the honor of opening the festival – a first for a short film. The film went on to be featured at the Berlin Film Festival, Istanbul International Film Festival and made its French debut at Paris Fashion week.When it came time to release the film to larger audiences, ABSOLUT realized that cinema could not be purchased - it would need to be created. More than 10 different countries launched screenings for thousands of viewers around the globe.

Finally, a virtual “cinema” with limited seating was revealed at www.imheremovie.com – allowing an even wider audience to experience the latest ABSOLUT collaboration.The film’s launch at Sundance generated 17,319,573 branded press impressions. Cinematical.com reported “The most buzzed about right out of the gate was Spike Jonze’s I’m Here.” The subsequent global screenings attracted over 10,000 live viewers. When the trailers launched, another 6,404,955 impressions were earned. Finally, when the full film debuted online to limited audiences, another 36,744,854 impressions were generated. The site itself experienced 900,000 visitors in the first two weeks.

Ultimately, the brand succeeded in reclaiming its creative platform, and paved the way for additional visionary collaborations to come.