New Zealand based 42 Below Vodka went from making absolutely no profits, to being an internationally recognized (and loved) brand. The company's rapid growth has been accomplished through "viral marketing," or using person-to-person selling without the originator's involvement, through the use of web-based postcards, text messages promoting company events, and "virals". In doing so, however, the company has also engendered controversy over its ads and executive statements.
This is a story of Pink Dollars, Russian brides, fake blogs, and online wars. The story features a company that breaks the rules of image and relationship management, and doesn't "give a toss" about the consequences; of the praxis of public perceptions and public relations; and a look into a place where corporate social responsibility is not only honored, it is blatantly disregarded. This is the 42 Below story.
