Major shift in Absolut Vodka marketing (at least in Australia)

From this post on it’s what I do . . .:

"Absolut, a brand with one of the most iconic & successful advertising campaigns evah, is launching a new product with *zero* advertising. No advertising in a category that typically buys $3 million in media for a rollout (Australian market)."

So how is Absolut going to launch the product?  From this post on Like it Matters:

Absolut has taken out a short lease on two pubs - one in Sydney's Surry Hills, the other in Melbourne's St Kilda - hired bands, DJs and put on a photographic exhibition on life in five state capitals. Visitors to the Absolut Cut bar will get a free bottle of Cut and eventually the public will be given a chance to contribute their photos, generating what Absolut hopes will be a viral element to the campaign.

Experiential and viral — big companies are starting to truly embrace the new world of marketing.

Amazing because of the size of the company, but inevitable.