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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.