• by Teresa Buyikian , 11 hours ago

Tito’s Handmade Vodka is pushing back against Dry January, especially for those customers who unfortunately have a birthday in the first month of the year.

The vodka brand’s online “January Birthday Awareness” campaign points out how dull January birthday can be, “as many people abstain from fun and social activities after all the holiday indulgence.” In response, Tito’s is granting the new teetotalers a “Damp Jan Day Pass,” described as a playful permission slip that gives “parched pals a pass on self-imposed celebration bans.”

Created with creative agency Arts & Letters, the black business-card-sized day passes entitle the holder to “immediate suspension of rigid January resolutions”  and are good for a “guilt-free Damp Day in January.” For $10, customers can purchase a Damp Jan Day Pass Pack, which contains 10 passes, from the brand's website.

“We’re always thinking about ways that we can make our Tito’s fans feel seen -- and even better when we can do it in a way that showcases our brand’s irreverent humor,” Allie Wester, vice president of brand marketing at Tito’s Handmade Vodka, told Marketing Daily. “January is a tough month to have a birthday -- no one’s in party mode after the holidays, and the excuses are endless. … The Damp Jan Day Pass is our tongue-in-cheek way of bringing light to this and giving people permission to celebrate anyway… and you can go right back to your green juice afterward.”

The brand is promoting the day passes via its website and social media platforms, dropping a video, seen here, on Instagram. In it, a bargoer sadly laments his January birthday to the entire bar, shouting about how January is the worst month to celebrate anything. He goes on to describe “January Birthday Awareness” and the day passes, humorously relieved he’ll now be able to celebrate his birthday with people besides his loyal Aunt Maureen.