Like Swedish fish in a barrel.
Several bloggers are understandably up-in-arms over an Absolut Vodka ad currently appearing in Mexico City.
Since Absolut is a Swedish company, blogger Patrick Ishmael decided to give them a taste of their own medicine.
Obviously the taking of Sweden will be the first step of the Coming Finnish Hegemony. Lots of Suomi ex-pats already live in that herring-strewn hellscape, so it's like our Sudetenland. And, seriously, it should only take, like, an hour.
I applaud Patrick's efforts, but warn him not to leak any further maps without direction from Adm. Kaskeala at the Puolustusvoimat. Sisu!
Update: Welcome all you morons from Ace. We didn't build the graphic, all props for that go to Patrick Ishmael. Jon's got a take of his own, though, and feel free to look around the place while you're here. Just don't mind the mess, our cleaning lady is off this week...
Since Absolut is a Swedish company, blogger Patrick Ishmael decided to give them a taste of their own medicine.
Obviously the taking of Sweden will be the first step of the Coming Finnish Hegemony. Lots of Suomi ex-pats already live in that herring-strewn hellscape, so it's like our Sudetenland. And, seriously, it should only take, like, an hour.
I applaud Patrick's efforts, but warn him not to leak any further maps without direction from Adm. Kaskeala at the Puolustusvoimat. Sisu!
Update: Welcome all you morons from Ace. We didn't build the graphic, all props for that go to Patrick Ishmael. Jon's got a take of his own, though, and feel free to look around the place while you're here. Just don't mind the mess, our cleaning lady is off this week...
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4/4/2008 10:23 AM
a geezer's corner wrote:
Exurban League takes a swipe a the Swedes' and the Absolut ad campaign in Mexico. you know, the shaded area of "Greater Finland" looks like a dick. appropriate.
"Herring-strewn hellscape" That one put me on the floor and will stay with me for a while. Classic!
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Or how about a map of northern Germany, Poland, Denmark, and Norway all in red, with Sweden in subservient pink?
Nah, too far fetched...
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Finland still has an army?
Really?
I thought they disbanded their military to concentrate on biathlon and mobile-phone production.
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::cue Mr. Burns voice:: Exxxxxcellent. That's what we WANT you to think. Especially Canada.
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Always fun to watch the Canadia-Finlandia fireworks at Exurban League. We Scots-Americans will stand by and watch you knock the snot out of each other and then exploit your remaining resources. Oh wait - we already got Canadia - or at least the Clan Mackenzie did.
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That's beautiful. . . Weirdly though, the Swedes actually have a credible military and, if memory serves, spend a higher percentage on defense than most European countries.
It's so bizarre to me that two of the most effete countries in Europe -- France and Sweden, also have two of the best militaries.
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As a Spanish- (and English-) speaking Swedish-American I had to laugh twice.
As for the pre-1848 N. American map... Europeans seem to have this strange notion that when they draw lines on a map that the reality on the ground changes. In fact, most of the present US S.West was controlled by Native Americans and not by the government of Mexico City. They same was also probably true of the Pacific NW vis-à-vis Washington, DC.
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"Europeans seem to have this strange notion that when they draw lines on a map that the reality on the ground changes."
That's a really insightful comment. Europeans really did put a tremendous faith in lines. Most of the "tribes" in Africa we think of as ancient were actually defined by European powers who needed things classified for both their own presence of mind and the realities of imperial control. The partition of Pakistan and India is another example.
Thanks for pointing that out about the SW, that's significant.
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True, but the Mexicans see themselves as those Uto-Aztecan natives to which you refer. Admittedly, as one who has driven through New Mexico and El Paso... they may as well have it back.
They also claim California because they figure all red people look alike. And, because Anglo Californians are gutless sissies.
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We'll agree on letting them have El Paso, but let's keep everything Las Cruces and north. I can't handle losing the Hatch Chile Festival ( http://www.hatchchilefest.com/ )
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The "Greater Finland" map is actually an accurate map of Sweden before Russia attacked Sweden in the war of 1808-1809 and lost this one third of its territory to Russia. This lost part of Sweden became a country in 1921 under the name "Finland", when it became independent from the Soviet Union. (The word "Finland" is actually the Swedish name for this former Swedish region.)
Thus, the map is historically correct, just like Absolut Vodka's map of Mexico before the U.S.-Mexican war of 1848. The only difference is that the Absolut Vodka depicts an historically correct map WITHOUT having to try to be insulting by changing the name of the country.
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Since when did it became insulting to depict historically correct maps? Grow up!
By the way, it's a Mexican ad agency who came up with the idea of showing a historically correct map of Mexico in the Absolut ads.
Oh, one more thing... Absolut has just been bought by a French company. Are Americans now going to try to insult French people also?
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Essentially it is an accurate old map. But ignoring the current immigration debate and the radical demand for Aztlan, feigns far too much ignorance of the audience -- both in Mexico and the U.S. I believe your demand to "grow up" should apply more to Mexican nationals nursing a 160-year-old grievance.
The ad agency in question turned a cheap shot into a major business blunder. True, Teran\TBWA is technically a Mexican agency, but as is seen from their name, they are backed by the largest American firm. And for a mild bump in a small market they have risked a massive drop in a huge market. Absolut idiocy.
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I'm certain I can find "historically correct" maps from around 1774 that show most of the Eastern Seaboard as part of Canada.
What would the residents of, say, Philadelphia think of such a map being a representation of an "Absolut World" ?
And that catchphrase, "An Absolut World" denotes "This is what our brand stands for". If you don't want to be associated with it, don't print it.
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Nice try, Pete.
"The only difference is that the Absolut Vodka depicts an historically correct map WITHOUT having to try to be insulting by changing the name of the country."
Except for the caption on the 'historically accurate map.' The slogan 'In an Absolut world' is used in the campaign as synonymous with 'In a perfect world.'
It is patently obvious that Absolut is playing on irredentist feelings among Latin Americans as a way to sell vodka. It's intellectually disingenuous to pretend otherwise.
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Perhaps next, the agency will show a map of the confederacy as part of the "Absolut world." Sure, that might bump their sales in Mississippi. But it doesn't make it right.
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Absolut has apparently decided to apologize...now that the damage has been done
This situation seems to belie the premise that there is no such thing as bad publicity
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Weird. Why would they apologize for posting an "historically accurate" map which is in no way offensive?
I'll never drink Absolut again. Seriously.
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