Absolut Vodka is celebrating 30 years of going out and coming out in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community this fall in a truly OUTrageous style, and everyone is invited to join the celebration. To mark three decades of supporting the visionaries and artists of the LGBT community, Absolut is throwing a year-long party in bars and clubs on the streets of the country’s gay epi-centers.
The party invitation comes in the form of a new print ad from legendary photographer David LaChapelle and stars Amanda Lepore, his muse, amid a visual cornucopia of iconic gay images. In true LaChapelle fashion, the OUTrageous vision draws viewers into a menagerie of icons and symbols that represent life and cocktails…perfected. The vision encapsulates the celebratory hopefulness of the LGBT community as well as the legendary men, women, and everything else in between that keep the party in the LGBT community going strong.
Absolut Vodka has continually supported LGBT charities, bars and clubs, community centers, pride celebrations and media outlets ever since they placed one of the first national ads in The Advocate in 1981. This support has earned Absolut widespread recognition as one of the most beloved and recognized brands in the community. The new OUTrageous campaign is the next step in the brand’s legendary celebration of the people, events and organizations that make the LGBT community so unique.
“Absolut has been a true trailblazer in the corporate world by reaching out to the LGBT community in a passionate and consistent manner since the brand made its mark in this country 30 years ago,” said Jeffrey Moran, Vice President Public Relations, Events and Sponsorship for Pernod Ricard. “The provocative new LaChapelle ad and the entire year of OUTrageous events celebrate our last 30 years and sets the stage for the next 30. From Warhol to LaChapelle, we have proudly and continually supported the creativity that makes the LGBT community so special.”
Absolut OUTrageous will also live as a moving art installation—popping up at bars, clubs and neighborhoods in New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Dallas. Party-goers will be able to share the photographic experience through Twitter and Facebook, and other experiential elements, along with the exceptional Absolut OUTrageous cocktail, will be unveiled from coast-to-coast in all places Absolut has been standing out with the LGBT community for the past 30 years.
In January, the party will continue via Facebook with the new Absolut LGBT Facebook tab. Party-goers can experience the digital ad by spinning the iconic Absolut bottle and virtually toasting their friends. They will also be able to make a very real “OUTrageous” contribution to Outfest and the Outfest Legacy Project for LGBT Film Preservation. A contribution of $30,000 will be made to preserve queer images of the past for future generations.
Absolut will also be sponsoring the OUTrageous looks, antics and attitude of the girls from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” on Logo. Fans will be toasting with Absolut cocktails in hand at viewing parties across the country and be lining up for the OUTrageous tour in the spring.
