Absolut Takes a Sonic Segue Through the Decades

Absolut has launched a new global creative competition with a nostalgic campaign spot entitled The Walk which takes the viewer from the 80s through to the present day in a stylish, looping film.

Renowned for its artist collaborations, Absolut has worked with hundreds of artists since 1985 to create posters for its vodka and the two-and-a-half-minute spot entails a trip down memory lane to promote a call for entries for the competition which gives artists and designers a chance to win 20,000 euros, as well as having their work exposed to a huge, international audience.

The vodka brand has partnered with BBH London and sound design and music production studio String and Tins to craft the film which sees an artist affix their Absolut artwork to a street wall before walking into a bar whilst posters from over the years are hidden in the scenes.

The film’s soundtrack is integral to the spot and involved the weaving of multiple elements. The music crafts the film’s narrative by capturing the genre of each decade and signifies the era change whilst embodying Absolut’s upbeat brand identity. 

Starting in the 80s, characterised by boiler suits, boom boxes and neon lighting, the scene is set with a suitably energetic, synth-centric disco sound. The artist’s sequence repeats as the spot transitions into the 1990s with a slower hip-hop beat and vocals before the 2000’s are signified by indie guitars. Finally, the 2010s bear a contemporary sound of electronic and future bass.

“We did a series of genre tests to create the initial soundscape," explains Joe Wilkinson at String and Tins when discussing the mix for the film. "We settled on the combination of New Romantic, Hip Hop, Indie and Future Bass for each era chronologically, which you can hear in the film. In addition to that we experiment with diegetic vs non-diegetic treatment in the mix to balance the overall momentum of the piece against the realism."

To find out more about the competition and how you can enter, click here.