What tools or resources are you using to help your marketing efforts?
Some of the tools I use are Hootsuite for social media management, the app SparkPost to create social media content on my phone and Mailchimp for email marketing. Nothing can replace interacting with customers and consumers. Since becoming part of the company, I’ve increased my knowledge of the market by attending events and visiting retailers nationwide. This experience has helped me understand our deficiencies and enabled me to come up with innovative solutions.
What’s the biggest marketing challenge you’re facing at A.J. Fernandez?
Increasing the brands’ recognition and customer engagement is my No. 1 priority. My focus is our brand names, such as New World, San Lotano, Enclave and Bellas Artes. We want them to become worldwide staples in humidors and become a household name for all cigar smokers.
With so many brands, how do you define the brand voice of each one so they are unique and have a personality of their own?
Before I joined the team, the company’s focus had been to build up the A.J. Fernandez name. Now our primary goal is to extend the legs of the brands by building unique campaigns and profiles for each one. We’re redefining our portfolio and teaching our sales force and customers about our history, passion, discipline and great tobacco. We’ve already achieved this with the early success of the Ramon Allones brand.
How are you helping to drive consumer traffic into retail stores and draw attention to the company’s various product offerings?
Our sales and marketing teams have collaborated to create tailor-made promotions for our retail partners. They also work hand-in-hand to create different strategies to achieve our company’s sales and marketing goals.
In your opinion, what’s it going to take to push A.J. Fernandez Cigar Co. to the next level?
A.J. Fernandez Cigar Co. is a fast-growing company. With our unique tobaccos and innovative blends, we are continually creating a buzz in the market. Our relentless pursuit of brand awareness, consumer interaction and a unique smoking experience will be the key to our future success and growth.
This story first appeared in the September/October 2018 issue of Tobacco Business magazine. Members of the tobacco industry are eligible for a complimentary subscription to our magazine. Click here for details.
– Story by Antoine Reid, an editor and digital content director for Tobacco Business Magazine. You can follow him on Instagram @editor.reid.
