TOB Magazine

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TOBACCO BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL

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ates another data point for the company to study through the

ability to see where its event attendees are traveling from for

larger events like the company’s annual ‟Barn Smokers” held

in Connecticut, Kentucky and Florida. Building on the social

aspect, users are able to add and follow other friends within the

app, fortifying the community and subculture spirit that the

Drew Estate brand is founded on. By emphasizing events and

connecting users with one another, Drew Diplomat is another

tool created by the company to develop a strong sense of connec-

tivity and community within its loyal brand supporters.

Another special feature of the Drew Diplomat app is how us-

ers can earn points that can be redeemed toward giveaways and

unique Drew Estate swag, such as one-of-a-kind art pieces created

by the company’s Subculture Studios. Drew Estate employs 40

full-time highly skilled, diverse graffiti artists and produces more

unique art on a daily basis than any other cigar company on earth.

THE ART OF BUSINESS“I have been with Jonathan [Drew] since day one here in Nica-

ragua, first as his translator, then as his driver and now as an art-

ist,” says Jessi Flores, director of Subculture Studios in Nicaragua.

“Subculture Studios is the pulse that artistically makes our brands

come alive. We play off each other’s strengths, and help each other

with our weaknesses. We teach each other, learn and grow, but we

also have fun. Drew Diplomat is the vessel that gets our art to the

United States. It’s like technology, art and cigars combined into

something diabolical.”

With Drew Diplomat, anyone who is on the app–including re-

tailers, store clerks and consumers—has the chance to win one of

700 items that these graffiti artists have created. These are one-of-

a-kind art pieces and personalized ashtrays, sneakers, apparel and

more that are unique and will never be mass produced. With the

app’s growing user base, the need for the graffiti artists to produce

these pieces is great and it helps Drew Estate to remain committed

to its art initiatives by justifying its investment in employing these

40 graffiti artists.

In just six months, the response to Drew Diplomat has been so

strong that Drew Estate already sees some of its competitors de-

veloping apps of their own. But the company isn’t worried about

possible competition in the app arena.

“The Drew Diplomat app provides a home for Drew Estate

fans to interact with each other, sharing ‘the force,’ if you will.

When Drew Estate started we were the antithesis to everything

‘status quo’ in the cigar industry,” explains Drew. “Of course our

competitors are watching, and they can replicate parts and pieces

of the applications. What they can never replicate is our relation-

ship with the consumers, so we are not afraid.”

TBI

To learn more about the Drew Diplomat program,

visit

drewdiplomat.com .

Think social media and investing in technol-

ogy as a tobacco business is a waste of time?

Think again. Technology and social media

have been central to Drew Estate’s business

model and a source of its remarkable growth

since the company launched. “Our technolo-

gy investment is what sets us apart from our

peers because our goals are different,” says

Jonathan Drew, founder of Drew Estate.

When developing its Drew Diplomat pro-

gram and application, Drew Estate wanted

to create an authentic social loyalty program

that would help create intense connections

and relationships with its consumer audi-

ence. By doing so, Drew Estate has been

able to convert its consumers into brand

ambassadors who each share the vision and

passion for the brand.

“It’s this organic, authentic, grassroots

approach that really is the heart and soul of

Drew Estate and what makes us different

from everyone else,” describes Morales,

Drew Estate's director of marketing. “There’s

something to be said of authenticity, and

social media is the most authentic form of

editorial in existence. Drew Diplomat is no

different than a lighter or a cutter—it’s a tool.

Our community uses it to stay connected

together and to create a family.”

Drew Estate not only invested in the devel-

opment of the application, but also in a total

technological overhaul of the company and

how it integrates with the Drew Diplomat

program. Both the data it derives from the

application and the constant feedback and

connection it gains with its consumers give

the company a return on its investment that

will secure its position as one of the pioneers

and innovators of the cigar industry.

The Science—

and Power

—of

Social Media

The Drew

Diplomat

app provides

a home for

Drew Estate

fans to

interact with

each other,

sharing ‘the

force,’ if you

will. When

Drew Estate

started we

were the

antithesis

to everything

‘status quo’

in the cigar

industry.