Absolut Metropolis

The vodka brand Absolut is featuring underground culture from Tokyo in its new campaign Absolut Metropolis. According to the website, "the streets of Tokyo were scoured to find eye-catching individuals who exhibit their own vibrantly original style, fused from influences and ideas from all over the world." These were then asked by Absolute to create costumes for the brand.

Although the website is bilingual, it seems to be another attempt - like Lost in Translation or Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Girls - to sell Japanese contemporary culture as perceived by a non-Japanese to other non-Japanese. And while these individuals might appear interesting and hip to people outside Japan, they would probably scare off the average salaryman (or even university student) instead of convincing them to give Absolut vodka a try.