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What were they thinking?

Have you seen this?  It’s an advertisement for Absolut Vodka that ran in the Mexican media a few months ago.  It plays on the feelings (resentment?) of some Mexicans about the events leading up to the establishment of the current border (war, cash, etc).  What was Absolut Vodka thinking?  Did they think that no one in the U.S. would ever see this ad?   Or that no one would object to it?  Weren’t  they paying any attention at all?

Now  before you go firing off any letters, on either side of this position, know that this ad was pulled a good six months ago, after calls for a boycott of all things Absolut.

A spokesperson for Absolut said the ad wasn’t intended for a U.S. audience.  It was designed for a Mexican audience and harkened to  “a time which the population of Mexico might 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, and for that we apologize.”

Did they goof?  Absolutely.  Here is some (albeit old) reading material:

Los Angeles Times, Time Magazine, the fringe BoycottAbsolut.com‘s “Separatist Movement Evidence” page, declaring “  There is a rapidly growing separatist movement in America that is being fueled by illegal immigration”. And last but not least, the National Council of La Raza, firmly denying its support of any separatist movements.

And here is the Wikipedia history of the border, with links to all the relevant documents.

Tags:   Absolut · Mexican and U.S. border · Mexico · serapatist movementNo Comments