When “heat” is not just heat

For the Spanish market consultation of Absolut × Tabasco, the challenge was not simply to check whether the global campaign could be translated. It was to understand what “heat” actually means in Spain.

In English, heat can carry intensity, energy and flavour. In Spanish, that territory quickly branches into picante, sabor, picar, appetite, humour and social ritual. A literal route would have made the campaign sound hotter, but not necessarily more Spanish.

My work focused on decoding that cultural difference and identifying where local copy could make the campaign feel more natural, more appetising and more credible for Spanish audiences, while protecting the global idea of a bold collaboration between two iconic brands.