Tito's Vodka: How A Story Can Make Things Better
March 24, 2005 | 
16 Comments
This last week, down at SXSW my younger brother and I stepped up to the bar at Stubb’s and we each ordered a vodka & soda. I got the cheap well variety vodka and he got the only premium vodka they had—Tito’s. At first he balked. I mean, Tito’s? Sounds more like a tequila or something, and that bottle, I mean, it was pretty plain for a “premium vodka.”
He figured, “why not,” and gave it a try. Turns out it was really good and we thought it was strange we’d never heard of it. So when we got back to our circle of friends we asked if anyone had ever heard of Tito’s.
All the local’s eyes lit up and they got a big smiles on their faces. Hell yeah, they’d heard of Tito’s—it was their vodka of choice when they can get it.
“We LOVE Tito’s,” they said. “Have you heard the story?”
The charm and power of a story
Now us out-of-towners, who’d never heard of Tito or his vodka before, were a bit perplexed. What about Grey Goose or Ketel? I mean, those are the cream of the crop right? Best in the world.
Turns out, no, that’s not the case, but what really makes Tito’s special is the story behind it.
My older brother preceded to tell us about a vodka enthusiast and Austin native named Tito Beveridge (for real, that’s his name) and how he went on a quest to make the perfect vodka.
Instead of trying to paraphrase the story from a foggy memory, I’ll use the power of the Web to link you to a good account, which not only tells the story, but gives you an insight into a guy who seems really cool and very passionate about what he’s doing.
Just after I’d heard the story I had to get one of my own. Not being a vodka connoisseur, I couldn’t tell (by taste anyway, it’s pretty tasteless, which is good) if it was great or not, but it was better than the stuff I was drinking and was at least comparable to Ketel, which had been my vodka brand of choice. The thing is, I enjoyed that first Tito’s and soda better than any vodka drink I’d had before. Why?
The story. It was all about the story. Tito’s story created an experience that made my drink more enjoyable. We all felt the same way. Sure the vodka was really good, but what set it apart was the passion of Tito for his vodka and the story behind it.
What occurred the next few days was viral marketing at it’s finest. We asked everyone we met if they’d tried Tito’s. Most of the locals had, were familiar with the story and were die-hard Tito’s fans. Those who hadn’t heard the story tried some Tito’s and jumped on the bandwaggon. It was crazy fun.
Almost all of us left Austin with a bottle to Tito’s in our bags and all sorts of talk about spreading the word. My little brother is writing a letter to some specialty stores up here in Seattle to see if we can get some up here. Afterall, we’ve got lots of friends who’ve not heard Tito’s story!
The moral (pun intended) is that a great story can make anything better. When you got a passion, and you are willing to share your story, great things can happen.
Filed under: Marketing and Branding
Comments
1. Scott said:
They also have a nice website. Maybe this will be the “tipping point” that gets everyone else to give Tito’s a try…
Posted on March 25, 2005 08:21 AM | #
2. Abel Rios said:
Yup. Tito’s has been the best vodka I’ve ever had. I couldn’t believe how smooth it was (like the story: warm or cold). I’m surprised more people outside of Texas don’t know about it.
Posted on March 25, 2005 08:33 AM | #
3. Keith said:
Scott – Who knows? I’d be happy to tip Tito’s. I wonder if he could handle the demand though.
One thing I will say, the site is nice, but has some pretty major problems. The interior scroll, for example and the fact that you can’t bookmark any page. There are others…
Posted on March 25, 2005 08:41 AM | #
4. Kevin Tamura said:
Mmm, I like the Austin’s Own Martini on the concotions page.
This reminds me of Austin’s motto, “Keep Austin Weird”. It’s the first thing I think about when ever I think of Austin or my friends there.
Posted on March 25, 2005 09:23 AM | #
5. Mike D. said:
I knew a guy named Beveridge once. I love that last name.
Posted on March 25, 2005 09:34 AM | #
6. C McMahon said:
We were at a party store across the river in KY last month and the wife got all excited that they carried Tito’s (seems all her friends online kept talking about it).
There’s been a bottle or 2 in our freezer ever since.
Posted on March 25, 2005 10:03 AM | #
7. SZA said:
TITO’S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Abel - More people outside of Austin don’t know about Tito’s because it doesn’t have big time distribution. If you read the linked article it mentions how he hasn’t even been able to get distro in Oklahoma.
Tito’s is the best Vodka ever! However, I agree that the name and the ugly label make it look like a low level Tequila.
Posted on March 25, 2005 04:25 PM | #
8. Scott said:
Yep, there are always problems when everything is done with Flash.
Posted on March 25, 2005 08:58 PM | #
9. Dan Bowling said:
In musical performance it is the same. A study was done a few years back and it found that if a violinist knew the history of their violin, they were observed to play better on it than a violin of an unknown background.
Posted on March 25, 2005 09:53 PM | #
10. James Archer said:
Great post, Keith. I’m a big marketing/branding guy, so I appreciate you taking the time to write about this.
A story is the foundation of a great brand, and Tito’s is a perfect example of that. Our society is so affluent that we’ve basically moved beyond the stage of trying to get the best product for the least money – now we’re looking for the best lifestyle narratives we can buy.
Most people don’t realize this, or don’t want to admit that they’re doing it. I had a guy once try to convince me that he bought a pair of Pumas for purely practical reasons. Yeah, right.
Brand stories are a fundamental part of our decision-making process, and we’d be foolish to pretend that they’re not. Kudos to you for acknowledging this.
(I’d probably go and buy some myself now, except that I don’t drink.)
Posted on March 25, 2005 10:51 PM | #
11. Dragan Babic said:
When I started to read this entry I thought it was about (our) former Yugoslavian president “Josip Broz Tito”. I mean that guy had everything, I just have never heard of his vodka brand, so I read this and realised it’s not the same guy. :)
It’s really cool when you spend your money on something you actually enjoy and feel good about … All I can say is that hasn’t happened to me in a while … I usually end up feeling cheated :)
Cheers …
Posted on March 27, 2005 06:03 AM | #
12. Orange Dave said:
Nice story. Tito’s is a real nice vodka. Spread the word, I’d bet he’d be happy to try and keep up with demand. There’s quite a few small companies in the U.S. making quality vodka, myself included. Check out a press release we put out for the holidays and seek out American Crafted vodka wherever you can. Remember, it does not have to be imported to be good!
http://alcoholreviews.com/discus/messages/782/949.html?1102570025
or
http://thesoydailyclub.com/Food/vodka12032004.asp
Posted on March 27, 2005 06:26 PM | #
13. Abel Rios said:
SZA - I know about the lack of distribution, but jeezus, they’re based out of AUSTIN! I’m sure enough people outside of Texas make their way to Austin for some fun times. Maybe the shock of big city life is getting to me. :)
Posted on March 28, 2005 06:26 AM | #
14. Barak Zimmerman said:
Not a vodka drinker myself (I prefer whisky) but I have seen Tito’s at food/drink specialty powerhouse Trader Joe’s, which often stocks “lovable” products. If you’re worried about Tito’s distribution, rest assured that it’s in front of a huge portion of its target market (at least in L.A.)
Posted on March 30, 2005 10:28 AM | #
15. Jen said:
As a girl who’s partial to a TOV (tot of vodka) I’m hanging to try some Tito’s after reading this, and the account of his vodka. Maybe one day it will make it to Australia?
Posted on March 30, 2005 04:53 PM | #
16. Jeremy Dunck said:
In agreement that his site has issues, this pic set would be much better as a flicker set which he just linked in.
Posted on October 23, 2005 02:57 PM | #
Comments are now closed