At the entrance to Shopping Cidade São Paulo in late July stood a bottle that was not meant to have a drink poured into it, but for people to step inside. Visitors moved around the space to trigger a virtual lava flow, then spent the next 90 seconds surrounded by volcanic visuals. It was the central experiential execution of the Brazilian launch of Absolut TABASCO, a collaboration between Absolut and TABASCO.
The installation on Paulista Avenue was open from July 23 to 26 for adult visitors. After a brief registration and the experience inside the bottle, participants received a photograph, a 50-millilitre miniature bottle and temporary chili pepper tattoos. The volcano was not chosen simply as scenery. Its heat and intensity served as a visual language for a product that combines Swedish vodka with a natural essence made from fermented red peppers used to make TABASCO sauce.
The Brazilian media strategy, led by dentsu, was not confined to a single location. Branded street clocks were placed along Paulista Avenue, while the passage connecting the Paulista and Consolação metro stations received a double-panel installation and other OOH formats. Among them is a lenticular surface whose elements change depending on the position and movement of passengers.
Movement thus became the common mechanism behind two particularly noticeable executions. In the installation, visitors’ movement triggered the lava, while in the metro the content was revealed as passengers moved past the advertisement. The same product motif was therefore given two different functions, one experiential and the other adapted to everyday movement through the city.
The second part of the campaign was placed in Salvador, where Absolut activated a campaign in Brazil’s Northeast region for the first time. A 3D OOH installation featuring a bottle approximately four metres high was placed there. After dark, specially designed lighting and smoke effects further transform the structure, once again using the idea of heat without requiring additional copy to explain it.
According to Viviana Maurman, executive vice president of dentsu Brazil, the task of the local strategy was to translate the global campaign into the Brazilian context by connecting outdoor media, physical experiences and digital channels, allowing the product to meet audiences at different points in their daily routines.
The physical installations are accompanied by the digital part of the campaign, with social media content, collaborations with creators and a dedicated landing page featuring cocktail recipes made with Absolut TABASCO. The product has been launched globally in more than 50 markets, while the bottle design combines recognizable elements of both brands.
