Level Vodka

No one has ever created a successful premium top-shelf vodka by advertising alone. But that doesn’t stop brands from trying. Level was Absolut’s super-premium vodka, languishing in their portfolio for two years for lack of a distinctive point of view. Other super-premium vodka advertising relied on taste-tests, experts and their product’s “smooth” attributes (a code for tastelessness) and of course, bottle shots. The solution for Level was to break with convention, be honest to the product, and declare it had flavor. Unfortunately saying vodka has a taste carries serious negative connotations. But who can argue with “delicious”? Why not create a very different invitation to trial by describing taste as something great, photographing the most delicious martini on the planet with a fashion sensibility unknown in the category, and see what happens. People said the ads made them thirsty.