Martha Stewart and Tito's Vodka

On today’s Bullseye – It’s more about Dry January. Martha Stewart has joined forces with Tito’s Vodka on a new 60 second TV spot and campaign focused on how to put the vodka that you are not drinking in January to good use. They call it “DIY January” and are encouraging consumers to us use Tito’s for alternative activities, such as adding a spritz to boots to keep them from smelling or adding to pasta sauce – and Martha adds a lot of vodka to her sauce recipe and  (I think that’s already called Vodka pasta sauce?). Martha is using the vodka to clean a bowl, sprays some in her mouth and even smashes a bottle on a piece of meat to tenderize it (please don’t try that at home – you could wind up smashing the bottle! And adding vodka to flowers to keep them fresh. A quick look on line and on Amazon reports that a 750 ml bottle of Tito’s costs about $20. Kind of expensive to use Tito’s for these Martha hints, ya think? They also came up with a kit – already sold out of course – that she demonstrates to add to the top of the bottle - there is the deodorizer, the flavorizer and the cleanerizer.  And of course the spot ends with her getting ready to drink a Martini as ‘she needs a drink”. 

Yes it's sort of funny. Yes, it's probably the brands inside joke. And according to the brand there are more DIY ideas on the way – including a window de-icer (I’m glad I live in California!). But dry January as we discussed before is serious. In Australia 51% of those who participated in Dry January drink less frequently 4 months after participation. Other studies across the countries who participate and promote Dry January also show reduced consumption. Don’t get me wrong, I am not a teetotaller – but according to Alcohol Research & Health alcohol can have negative effects – increased cardiovascular disease, stroke, liver disease and high blood pressure. Dry January is not going to cure those with alcohol addiction – it’s a tiny step to help. But this time, Martha and Tito’s I just think you’ve gone too far.