ABSOLUT UNIQUE – four millions of uniquely designed bottles of ABSOLUT VODKA created for a world of individuals

Today, The Absolut Company introduces ABSOLUT UNIQUE – a limited edition of nearly four million uniquely designed and individually numbered bottles. To make every bottle become a one-of-a-kind work of art, ABSOLUT had to re-engineer the entire production process. The colourful, vibrant bottles will be distributed worldwide. ABSOLUT UNIQUE is now available in Global Travel Retail, soon thereafter it will be available in around 80-100 markets.

“ABSOLUT UNIQUE is a daring concept, even for a company as passionate about creativity as ABSOLUT," says Jonas Tåhlin, Vice President Global Marketing at The Absolut Company. "Anyone could do one or two unique products. We're making close to four million."

For ABSOLUT UNIQUE, ABSOLUT had to re-engineer its entire production line. It required a complex interaction of human and mechanical elements, and a carefully orchestrated randomness, to achieve the desired end result. Splash guns  and colour-generating machines were set up and complex coating, pattern and placement algorithms were programmed in to ensure that no two bottles would be alike. Thirty-five different colours were used, and fifty-one pattern types were applied to the bottles. A striking look was achieved by colour contrasts and a white, mat paper label that features each bottle’s unique number.

The result was even better than anticipated. "ABSOLUT UNIQUE feels a bit 'mad scientist,' a bit street art," says Jonas Tåhlin. "When the bottles first appeared on the conveyer belt, we cheered. By that point the production line looked more like an artist’s studio than a bottle factory. These are really striking bottles. Everyone will find a personal favourite."

"A lot of world-class creators have made their interpretations of our iconic bottle. But this time ABSOLUT was the artist," continues Tåhlin. "Our customers are all unique – so we wanted to give them each a one-of-a-kind bottle as individual as they are. We loved the concept. Making it happen was the hard part. Along the way we doubted whether this would be at all possible. Well, guess what? It is”.

Visit http://www.media.absolutcompany.com or http://www.facebook.com/Absolut for images, videos and more information about ABSOLUT UNIQUE.

Watch the behind-the-scenes film at: http://www.youtube.com/absolut.

Visit http://www.drinkspiration.com for ABSOLUT UNIQUE cocktail recipes.

For further information, please contact:

Elin Wibell, Senior Manager Corporate Communications, The Absolut Company, +46 (0)70 190 10 41, elin.wibell@pernod-ricard.com

Notes to the editor:

• To make close to four million unique bottles, ABSOLUT used nineteen colours for the coating, five for the splash guns and sixteen colours for the fifty-one pattern types.

• Mattias Elg, a Quality Management Professor from the Linköping University in Sweden, figured out that ABSOLUT could create 94 quintillion bottles – that's 94 times 10 to the 18th power – before two similar ones would appear. That equals more than 13 billion bottles for each person on earth.

• Creative idea, concept, packaging, print and BTL for ABSOLUT UNIQUE were developed in cooperation with Family Business. Digital campaign assets were developed by Great Works and pr by Jung.

• ABSOLUT has won several design awards for its previous limited editions, including the FAB award, Eurobest and the Cannes Lions award

• Previous limited editions from ABSOLUT include ABSOLUT MODE (2011), ABSOLUT GLIMMER (2010) and ABSOLUT ROCK (2009), and the city-inspired ABSOLUT LONDON (2012), ABSOLUT MIAMI (2012), ABSOLUT SF (2011) and ABSOLUT BROOKLYN (2010).

• ABSOLUT UNIQUE will be launched in approximately 80-100 markets during the autumn of 2012. First out is Global Travel Retail with one-month exclusivity, starting September 3. Some markets will launch in early October, while others will wait until later during the year. For more details, please get in touch with your local Pernod Ricard contact.