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the data, feedback and direct connection to its
consumers that the Drew Diplomat app pro-
vides. While similar apps sell cigars directly to
consumers, Drew Diplomat instead aims to
drive fans of the Drew Estate brand into the
stores of Drew Estate retail partners. Jonathan
Drew, founder of Drew Estate, addresses the
importance of brick-and-mortar retail stores
to Drew Estate’s overall success.
“Brick-and-mortar retail stores are one
of the three fundamental pillars of the cigar
business,” Drew explains. “It is where the
magic of the factory floor is communicated
at the humidor level. At Drew Estate, we
view brick-and-mortar retailers as key to the
survival of our industry, so it’s our priority to
create platforms in 2017 that push our strategic
partnership to new levels. The Drew Diplomat
app keeps that spirit alive and pure. In 2017,
expect to see Drew Estate go back to its roots,
guerrilla-style, destroying everything in our
path and aligning with our loyal brick-and-
mortar customers to deliver an unparalleled
experience to the consumer.”
What interests Drew Estate more is the What
interests Drew Estate more is the consumer
feedback provided by the app. Since the app’s
launch nearly six months ago, more than 15,000
users have posted about 200,000 Drew Estate
cigars that they are smoking. All of those cigar
lovers logged in to the app provide Drew Estate
with a better vision about what people think
of its cigars and why they are smoking them.
For example, Drew Estate has been able to tell
that its Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented ci-
gar is three times more likely to be smoked on
somebody’s birthday than any other day in the
month. Data like this helps the company focus
its marketing efforts on various lines, as well as
understand the buying habits and behaviors of
its dedicated consumer base.
A RETAIL FOCUS
The app already lists over 70,000 retail part-
ners that sell Drew Estate’s premium prod-
ucts connected to the app. The company
hopes that the number of participating part-
ners will increase as more retailers, especially
those in the mass-market premium channel,
begin to understand the power of this plat-
form. The app itself appeals to consumers
and encourages them to visit the brick-and-
mortar stores that carry Drew Estate prod-
ucts such as ACID, Liga Privada, MUWAT,
Undercrown, Joya and Balmoral, among
many others.
Cigar smokers are encouraged to try all of
Drew Estate’s various cigar lines and app users
are rewarded for posting about their smoking
experience. This is what sets the Drew Diplo-
mat app and program apart from others like
it—it doesn’t reward purchase loyalty; it re-
wards consumers for engaging with Drew Es-
tate through social media. This “social loyalty
program,” a term coined by Drew Estate, taps
into the social aspect of the cigar lifestyle and
rewards cigar smokers for fully engaging with
and exploring the Drew Estate brand. The app
also features a virtual humidor that’s more than
a mobile inventory list for consumers. It also in-
cludes a wish list so that Drew Estate is able to
see what consumers can’t get enough of, what’s
in demand and also what limited releases the
company should bring back. With this, Drew
Estate is able to better plan its marketing initia-
tives and product releases for the coming year.
Another way the app benefits retailers is by
putting an emphasis on Drew Estate events,
many of which take place in Drew Estate re-
tail locations. With an RSVP feature built
into the app, the company is able to better
prepare its salesforce and event host for those
planning on attending the event. It also cre
This is what sets the
Drew Diplomat app
and program apart
from others like it—
it doesn’t reward
purchase loyalty; it
rewards consumers
for engaging with
Drew Estate through
social media.
[ T O B O N L I N E . C O M ]
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