In an initiative that brand owner Pernod Ricard dubs “bold” and
“engaging”, the Absolut vodka brand recently began trading in its own section
of a premium lifestyle zone at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. It is the
only spirits brands present among an array of familiar fashion names such as
Chloe, DKNY and Hugo Boss. And to my knowledge, it is the first time an alcohol brand has entered the fashion retail space. I applaud the boldness of this initiative and I wholly embrace it.
The 400sq m Eraman-operated shop – a first in the booming travel retail channel - features a bar manned by a bartender offering different vodka flavours for
sampling, and a peacock blue sofa offers travelling imbibers a lounge-style ambience.
Digital plays a key role in-store, with a plasma screen showing 3D
bottle images. Mindful of its airport location, the company has installed an
arrivals/departures board that looks like a usual airport one but does not show
flights - it flashes up the time, place and date or when a person tries one of
the new Absolut cocktails and registers it on social media.
Pernod Ricard's Asia Travel Retail chief Con Constandis tells me: "In certain cities/airports across the
world, digital is used to capture people’s preference on an array of cocktails,
and the selections flash up sequentially and stay lit up, like a real arrivals
board. Thus in Kuala Lumpur, you see names flash up from Istanbul and so on, so
the interaction begins!"
Constandis adds: “This store puts our image at the forefront. People have two
hours to shop at the airport and it’s been a huge success so far – a bold
move.”
At the same time as the shop opening, Absolut rolled out a
new, destination-specific flavour called Hibiskus, targeted at airport passengers seeking
Malaysian souvenirs. “This is an important cornerstone in our marketing, giving
it more power. We’re looking to do more.”
Like I say in the headline of this story, an Absolut triumph. Here are some pictures - note the attention to detail on the metal ceiling:
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| The Absolut vodka brand store at Kuala Lumpur International Airport |
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| The Absolut sampling bar has a lounge-style ambience |
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| Absolut Denim: MJ Rabbit's favourite spirits bottle design |
