From Cosmos to Coladas
In his role at Pernod Ricard Sweden, Rickard Edman is responsible for adapting global campaigns for brands such as Absolut, Havana Club and Malibu to various Nordic markets. We sat down with Rickard to catch up on this summer’s most eventful and exciting activations, which include a nineties classic and an unexpected but fruitful collaboration.
This year has seen a revival of the classic Cosmopolitan cocktail. During the summer, at least two coinciding campaigns for Absolut, one on each side of the Atlantic, have highlighted the drink that characterizes the nineties more than any other.
In the US, Absolut launched a drinkware collection together with artist and businesswoman Paris Hilton to help elevate the Cosmo to even greater heights.
The other campaign, which ran across Sweden, had a different approach – with very different origins. In fact, the idea of the campaign was born at a funeral. Not your typical funeral, but one honouring and remembering the classic Swedish cocktail Ragnar after its main ingredient, Absolut Kurant, was discontinued.
Together with prominent Swedish bartenders, including the drink’s inventor, Absolut wanted to honour Ragnar in a proper way. But despite the nature of the occasion, the atmosphere was joyful and filled with anticipation. Here was a chance to start something new. A competition was announced, where participating bartenders fought for the opportunity to be credited with an updated classic.
“Since the delicious Absolut Wild Berri had replaced Absolut Kurant, we had a perfect opportunity to create Ragnar 2.0 together with all of the bartending elite gathered in one place”, Rickard Edman explains.
Rickard himself joined Pernod Ricard Sweden as Senior Brand Manager soon after, but the competition’s success didn’t go unnoticed. He and his team recognized that the idea could be taken one step further.
I’ve never seen anything like it. Visitors were genuinely interested in the collab and brought friends to experience the vibe.
“All trend data show that the nineties are still very present in culture and fashion, backed by shows like Sex & the City, where the characters enjoy Cosmos on occasion. So, we said to ourselves, let’s take advantage of that and do an even bigger competition and include even more products from the Absolut range. Let’s give bartenders the chance to show their creativity by reimagining the most iconic drink of the nineties, the Cosmopolitan”, Rickard recalls.
So, during the summer, Rickard and his colleagues launched a nationwide competition to recreate the Cosmopolitan. Through an interactive map, where all creations were showcased, bar visitors could vote for their favourite interpretations of the classic.
With bars and bartenders from across the nation seeking to stand out with their inventions, each of the 113 participants had their own take on the Cosmo.
“I was struck by the dedication and creativity shown by the bartenders. With no huge prize to speak of, everyone went all in to show off their skills and ingenuity. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but I’ve never seen that level of creativity go into recreating a classic drink”, says Rickard.
The competition saw drinks ranging from ice cream-inspired creations to fully transparent Cosmos in highball glasses. And the fact that the bargoers’ ratings were visible to everyone, seemed to spark competition among the participants. When the competition concluded, more than 8,500 people had their say in crowning the four winners.
“The competition was a huge success and a fantastic way to inspire bartenders to try their wings and encourage mixing. I was also overwhelmed by the response from everyone who voted. I’ve never seen that level of engagement from an audience before”, says Rickard.
It wasn’t only the response from consumers that overwhelmed the team, but so did the level of engagement from participants. Jennica Weerén, Trade Marketing Manager at Pernod Ricard Sweden and a close colleague of Rickard notes: “It was great seeing our participants so eager to share content, encourage people to vote, and even organize events to increase their chances of winning. The hard work shown by the Trade Marketing team and the fact that we managed to get everyone on board really paid off”.
Rickard also attributes great teamwork with his colleagues at The Absolut Group as an important success factor: “This could never have been done without TAG’s commitment and creativity. Throughout this, we worked hard together to execute the activation in the best possible way. Next year, we are looking to do a Nordic version with a new classic cocktail, so stay tuned.”
A collab as cold as ice
In Rickard’s role, teamwork together with The Absolut Group is essential. During the summer, the Malibu team at TAG reached out to Rickard for help with setting up an activation for their collaboration with Oatley, which was revealed only a few weeks prior.
Malibu and Oatley had just launched a taste sensation the world had never imagined – a Piña Oatlada Soft Serve – which was now about to be introduced to a Swedish audience. With cocktails exclusively created for the occasion, mixed by professional bartenders, the soft serve launched at a pop-up bar in the VIP area at the Way Out West festival in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The team anticipated success, but not to the extent that it turned out to be. “We thought we were ready, but no one could have foreseen this level of success. We served, talked, and welcomed so many people that we, by the end of the last day, sold out all Malibu. For me, during 15 years in this business, I’ve never seen anything like it. Visitors were genuinely interested in the collab and brought friends to experience the vibe. It just kept on growing for every hour of the festival.”
It’s been an exciting start to Rickard’s career at Pernod Ricard Sweden, to say the least. With two five-star projects (using Rickard’s own words) already accomplished, he now looks forward to many more to come.
