Brian and Melissa Pursel
EDITOR’S NOTE: WOODALLSCM.com is profiling prominent RV influencers to better understand influencer marketing in today’s environment. This is the fourth installment in the series. While we continue to use the term “influencer,” perhaps “content creator” is more appropriate. Often, we are told by the people we are talking to that “influencer” is a slur some people use as a pejorative. “Content creator” seems to carry more weight and accommodates a wide range of media from podcasts to videos to old-fashioned words on a digital or printed page. No matter the terminology, an influencer/content creator is “someone with the power to affect others’ purchasing decisions because of their authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with their audience,” according to influencermarketinghub.com
They say, “Do what you love, and the money will follow.” I don’t know about the money, but for Brian Pursel and RV with Tito, it sure has paid out in hundreds of thousands of YouTube views and thousands of dedicated followers.
To clear up a common misconception, Tito is not actually a human or someone’s dog. Instead, RV Tito was created by Pursel’s two children back in 2008 when they nicknamed their motorhome dashboard mascot “Tito.” Obviously, the name stuck.
Pursel and his wife Melissa started RVing as a family in 2007. As their children grew up and moved out on their own, Brian and Melissa continued the lifestyle. In 2018 they retired from corporate jobs and started on a new path which keeps them on the road part-time and at home in Washington part-time.
Many successful influencers/content creators have partnered with businesses to subtly promote a product or service. However, Pursel is highly selective in his corporate affiliations.
When WOODALLSCM.com caught up to Pursel, he was taking advantage of his Class C’s solar capabilities – itself, the subject of many of Tito’s DIY videos – at an off-grid BLM site in Colorado, a location Pursel described as “spectacular, and comfortably cool.”
Unlike most content creators, Pursel’s focus is not lifestyle. Instead, he says his website and YouTube channel help others solve a need. “RV ownership comes with its own set of problems that need solutions,” he explained. “So either you pay someone to solve problems for you, or you can save your money and learn to do it yourself.” With RV service centers backlogged weeks and often months, it’s no wonder RV with Tito is growing followers.
Pursel was a software engineer for almost 30 years. He has a knack for technology and, along the way, developed construction, woodworking and electrical skills. He comes across as straightforward and honest in his DIY videos and breaks down complex tasks into simple steps. “My philosophy is more of helping people,” Pursel added. “If you start a YouTube channel to make money, you are probably going to fail. It’s a long haul and a lot of work, and you’re going to get burnt out.”
How he describes himself. “ I don’t want to be perceived as a know-it-all. I’m a guy just like you,” Pursel said. “So I’ll figure it out and maybe make mistakes and show you how I did it. And you can decide yourself whether this is something you can do or are willing to do.”
Specialty or Niche. Do-it-yourself RV repairs, maintenance, upgrades and renovation videos shot in scenic and inviting locations; boondocking tips and advice; some product reviews. Most of his viewers, Pursel believes, own an RV that is at least a couple of years old and are willing to give DIY a try, with some guidance.
RV with Tito has built up a YouTube library of about 180 videos and 98,800 subscribers. New video posts occur about once every three weeks. Some videos have over 400,000 views.
