“It’s disgusting, check it out”: Advertising and marketing for Chicago’s foul-tasting liquor

This week’s Masters in Advertising and Marketing is centered and dear to my heart, if not more so to my gender sprouts.

As a naturalized citizen of Chicago, it is my duty and honor to introduce you to one of the most disgusting and beloved areas of the city.

The herbaceous style of Jeppson’s Absinthe (Swedish for “absinthe”, the drink’s best flavour) was once (sadly) described by comedian John Hodgman as “pencil shavings and heartbreak”.

To get the lowdown on how CH Distillery markets a spirit that is reliably available to 2.7 million people and tastes like burnt rubber, I spoke with Anna SokratovaLogo designer at Jeppson’s Malört at CH Distillery in Chicago.

Sokratov has the enviable task of getting people excited about drinking what has been called “the worst drink on the planet.” In 2023, Sokratov co-created an advertising and marketing campaign that incorporated footage of people tasting Malört for the first time, with the tagline “Don’t drink. Responsibly.”

In case you think this is all an exaggeration, know that Malört was imprisoned during Prohibition because it was convincingly purchased as a medicine… for stomach worms.

Lesson 1: Assembling spherical community shared studies.

At first glance, Malört no longer seems like an exercise in community building—until that community becomes your enemy.

Alternatively, Sokratov describes a scene familiar to any Chicagoan who has ever noticed the inside of a bar: a specific person drinks his first shot of Malört (it’s not a sipping drink, trust me), and everyone around him applauds. For a while, everyone wants to check him out. Most of them excuse themselves.

“Whenever Malört is mentioned, people always share some crazy story or [give you] one of the more obscene techniques for describing flavor,” he says. “And in a remarkable way, it creates community.”

Sokratov also points out that most Chicagoans don’t enjoy a shot of Malört after a long day at the city hall. It’s more of a rite of passage, a “way to connect with people through stories of what you think it tastes like.”

“We thrive because people talk about us and share the good and bad about Malört,” says Sokratov.

Take the brand new advertising and marketing campaign “I Malörted”, which compares a shot of Malört to voting for a candidate you don’t like (not necessarily: you have to hold your nose for everything).

It’s no longer just a fun ad, it’s supporting local businesses: Malört drinkers can get an “I Voted”-style sticker at more than 100 bars and liquor stores across Chicago.

Lesson 2: Break the fourth wall.

The main Malört ad I’ve ever seen was in 2022, in the first season of the Chicago-set TV series. The submittingof all places. Sokratov says it was once one of the first viable commercials they ever aired: For nearly a century before that, Malört had relied on word of mouth and Chicagoans playing pranks on out-of-town guests.

Because promoting Malört is such a phenomenon, Sokratov feels very free to be fun, quirky, and experimental. (In fact, one of the most notable people she seems to draw inspiration from is former promoter Greg Fass of Liquid Death.)

It is a given at this level that authenticity drives buyer loyalty. Alternatively, much less is said about what authenticity is. it seems to be like like. “People are really looking for producers who break that fourth wall,” Sokratov says. “They want to see the old guys behind the brand.”

Previously, supply employees appear in a number of ads incorporating Malört faces (google it), which could be emphasized via the slogan “Do not delight. Responsibly”. Malört is also a lot of problems, on the other hand it is neither dishonest nor indirect.

Lesson 3: There is no longer one size fits all.

Sokratov raises an eyebrow at the saying that promotion is about storytelling. He tells stories — plural.

He says it’s a mistake to assume that Malört’s genre means there isn’t much nuance left in promoting it. “A measurement makes no more they’re good for everyone in case of something like that.”

“It’s easy to look at and adapt this logo to a single elegance of ‘everyone thinks it just tastes unhealthy,’” Sokratov tells me. “But it’s definitely much more difficult than that.” While Malört employees have joked about simply putting {a picture} of a toilet in an ad, they’d rather discover the multiplicity of fashion studios.

Part of the joy of trying Malört for the first time is trying to explain the way. Sokratov heard “gas” and “used Band-Lend a hand”, which sound like slightly different flavors, although I’m no longer ready to verify that.

Reddit users have described the method as “turpentine,” “expired tire and bug spray,” and “all your hopes and goals are instantly extinguished.” In 2018, Chicago Mag cited the poem as “the exact same liquid as Chicago winter weather” and “a punch in the face.”

As for the report, I really like Malört, on the other hand I find it to have a taste of grapefruit and denatured alcohol with a violent aftertaste of burnt tire.

If the way is professional, then another way, “then the story we tell must be different for a large number of people,” says Sokratov. Throughout its history, Malört has no longer been shy about using different descriptions of its product, which include gems such as “Malört: kicks the mouth in all the balls.”

Not every advertising and marketing campaign will be a viral success, but “we know that from the people who drink it anyway.”

Lingering Questions

This Master in Promotion, Advertising and Marketing model introduces a service as we call it Lingering questions. The principles of the game are simple: each specific person we interview gives us a question that we will ask about the next promotion. They don’t know who it will be (and occasionally we don’t know either).

Since Anna Sokratov of Malört is the editor of this collection, a colleague of mine from Chicago and I received a question to kick off the discussions:

Malört is one of Chicago’s mascots. What would be Malört’s mascot and why?

Sokratov: A 31-gallon galvanized steel trash can with lid. All are perceived as unattractive or disgusting, and the cans last a long time, similar to Malört’s enduring style.

Sokratov asked us a question that we will answer in our next promotional initiative in next week’s e-newsletter, and I promise you will not want to read his answer again: What unconventional promotional approach should you adopt and what is the best way to go about it? something haven’t you finished yet?

Sign up below to find out next week’s solution and next recurring question.

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