For starters, the bar customers weren’t interested in polite conversation. They were slinging shots, verbal and liquid, and no one was ducking.
It all started when a woman who looked like she drank a pint of vodka a day said “tequila is tequila.”
Before you could say Pope Benedict, the conversation switched from Palin to Patrón.
It wasn’t pretty. Voices rose.
“You don’t know the soul of a real margarita.”
“You wouldn’t know agave from Mondavi.”
"I’ve got your Sauza right here.”
Suddenly, nine relatively quiet people and one bartender turned into 10 self-anointed brand experts. This is what liquor makers live for. It’s why they spend millions trying to integrate their brand benefits into our emotional matrixes. Despite their efforts, millions of consumers will remain brand renegades (tequila is tequila). But millions more embrace brands because they say something about themselves.
Next time you’re at a bar, ask for Caliber Premium Tequila. If you get a blank look, mention it’s sold at Wal-mart in plastic bottles.
Or, ask for Cuervo Reserva Antigua 1800 Añejo and watch strangers size you up and possibly decide you’re someone they want to hang out with.
The language of emotion is what companies should really be listening to when examining their brands. Products aren’t important. Stories are.
“No way, man. You’re confusing Jose Cuervo with Don Julio!”
We’ll save the salt and lime debate for another day.
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