The Role of Blogs within the Cigar Industry

[OHRD]

Fellas - I operate a blog and there is lots of conversation as to how, or if at all, blogs fit into the cigar industry. I posted an article about this on my website, and asked other bloggers and brand owners their thoughts, and thought some of y'all may have interest:

WHAT PLACE DOES A BLOGGER HAVE WITHIN THE INDUSTRY IT REPRESENTS?

And how do manufacturers and brand owners perceive bloggers?

If you follow cigar blogs closely, or are active on Twitter, you’ve likely run across an ongoing conversation – what role do cigar blogs play within the cigar industry. The debate goes back and forth mostly among cigar smokers, with manufacturers and brand owners rarely entering the conversation. However, the latter group does express their opinion in other less-direct ways.

Some large manufacturers have fully embraced social media – such brands as Drew Estate, Tatuaje, CAO, Miami Cigar and Company, Rocky Patel, Padilla, and Illusione, and more recently, with the release of the 107, La Aurora. These brands are all very active on social media and regularly engage their smokers at the ground level. Some of these larger companies have the financial ability to regularly advertise in Cigar Aficionado – and they do, along with also giving attention to social media. Other companies however simply can’t afford the bill, or deem it not worth the risk, and have avoided print advertising, instead focusing on grass root efforts, which almost always includes social media. 262 Cigars, Jameson Cigars, and 13th Floor Cigars all come to mind as newer companies that are very active on social media.

Regardless of the reasoning, or the motivation, there are a great number of cigar manufacturers and brand owners turning to social media, and like it or not, a large part of social media is the blogosphere. And there are a lot of cigar blogs out there.

To start the conversation, I’ll briefly explain how I got involved in cigar blogging. I have been a cigar smoker for around 15 years, while getting very serious within the last 5. I began my first cigar blog a little over 3 years ago and, within the last year, deleted it and purchased a domain to start a second blog, Toasted Foot, with a close friend and fellow cigar smoker.

When I started blogging, I didn’t know there was an actual place for us within the industry. Quickly that changed. I began reading Stogie Guys, Stogie Review, and A Cigar Smoker, and I realized there were a lot of smokers interested in what these guys had to say. Prior to starting my cigar blog, I knew others existed, but my inspiration was derived from the cigar reviews found on forums, not on other review websites. Soon after we started, we began receiving requests from advertisers and from manufacturers interested in having their product reviewed. I was shocked to be honest with you, and it quickly changed my approach to blogging – I began taking it much more seriously, and began spending more time crafting my opinions of cigars – I realized people were paying attention. About this time we bought the domain and began Toasted Foot. Our motivation was not the advertisers or the product; rather, those provided validation for the work we’d begun – so we continued, and became more serious about what we did and how we did it. If I had to guess, I’d say 95% of the cigars we review are obtained through our own money, not as gifts. And the money we make from advertising is spent on the cigars we review and on the cost of maintaining our website – there is no money made.

It is hard to deny that bloggers hold a place within the cigar industry – take Stogie Guys for example, who have been around for nearly 5 years – according to their website, they average over 53,000 unique readers per month. That is a lot of cigar smokers, and if your cigar is reviewed on their website, positively or negatively, there is a great chance that will churn sales. And Stogie Review, around since 2006 – they attract over 35,000 unique readers per month. They seem to have interviewed every brand owner out there, and their readership is incredibly strong, with a forum of 1,000 members connected to their website.

I’d like to think that Toasted Foot, as small and as new as we may be in comparison, has developed a loyal readership, and that our readers respect our opinion enough to try a cigar that we review, whether we give a negative or positive rating on a cigar. Our readers are educated enough to decide for themselves if they like a cigar, and they realize that our opinion is just that – our opinion. For that reason, I believe that the exposure is more beneficial to the manufacturer than the actual rating is – regardless of how a cigar is described by a blogger, exposure is exposure, and our power is not strong enough to harm a large cigar company, or even bruise it.

I haven’t researched statistics, but it seems there are a growing number of smokers giving more weight to what their peers say about a cigar, and less attention to what the editorial board of a magazine says. With the influx of cigar forums, blogs, and social media, the conversations are fluid and replies are instantaneous. And there seems to be a growing distrust of large magazines, and how their scores may be affected by advertising.

There is without a doubt a place for bloggers within the cigar industry – the real purpose of this article is to ask how manufacturers and brand owners view bloggers. Ultimately, I don’t believe their opinion will change what bloggers do or how we do it – we’ll continue to review cigars because that is our passion, and because we enjoy the community it creates, and, honestly, because we, or at least Toasted Foot, enjoy the exposure it provides us to the industry.

Since I began blogging, I’ve had the opportunity to learn a great deal about cigars, to interview brand owners, to be invited to tour a Dominican factory, and to give away lots of cigars to our readers (given freely by companies). I never thought I’d have these kinds of opportunities. So yes, the joy I receive from running Toasted Foot is enough, and I don’t need accolades from manufacturers or brand owners to continue blogging, but aren’t we always a little curious of what the cool guy or the good looking girl thinks of us? Of course we are!

So, back to the question of this article – how do manufacturers and brand owners perceive us bloggers? Is it a love/hate relationship – they love the free exposure bloggers provide, but hate their ability to express their opinion and have it read by thousands. I’m hoping it’s less of a love/hate relationship, and more about respect – respect for our shared passion for cigars, respect for our own palate, and respect for the time, commitment, and financial cost required to maintain a blog.

Though there is not a lot of negativism on paper, it is not hard to notice that some companies have less of an appreciation for bloggers and for social media in general. I am not sure if these companies feel above this type of advertising, or if it is true that once you become so big it feels unnecessary to engage your customers – either way, my loyalty has undoubtedly been swayed toward those companies that I have the opportunity to regularly engage with.

There are of course issues with blogging that has encouraged some to form negativism towards us – take for instance the growing number of cigar blogs started each month, some of which prove discreditable and quickly fade away. These blogs have the ability to go to their B&M, pick up a cigar, and quickly form an opinion of a cigar that took 5 or more years to produce, from the first seedling. So, of course manufacturers have every right to look upon bloggers with a close and discerning eye. And then there is the pervasive issue of bad intentions. There are some blogs that have been started for the wrong reasons, such as the desire to receive free product and swag, affectionately known as cigar weasels, or to create a financially rewarding website via ad sales. Fortunately, when these motivations aren’t met, these blogs fade into obscurity. As of late, us bloggers have begun to try and hold others accountable for these actions.

There is however a community of bloggers committed to the art of tobacco, and who fully understand the joy of a great cigar and the hard work put forth to create it. There is always a bad apple or two, or ten – but there are some ripe ones in there as well.

In the end, my opinion is that bloggers provide a great service, mostly at no cost, to manufacturers and brand owners. But, before we pat ourselves on the back, we must remember that most blogs benefit from this relationship. We gain access to their time, their product, and we get the chance for a little vicarious living. And it is great; I love blogging about cigars – I love every part of it. And though it would be nice to know that our craft is respected, in the end, the approval is not necessary.

I ASKED OTHER BLOGGERS, BRAND OWNERS, AND CIGAR MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES FOR THEIR OPINION ON THE MATTER.

Believe it or not, they had a lot to say! For the sake of brevity, I’m putting their full quote in the comments section, with only an excerpt here.

Patrick Semmens – Stogie Guys

Cigar makers’ views on internet cigar media are as varied as the cigars they make. Some embrace online cigar blogs, some tolerate them, some ignore them, many are confused by the phenomenon. If there’s one thing I wish cigar makers would understand, it’s that online cigar outlets are a varied bunch: some are motivated by being independent and gaining readers’ trust, many are just a digital version of an old fashioned cigar diary, and I’m sad to say I think a few are just after free cigars. Ultimately, what scares cigar makers the most about the online cigar community is also what draws the most devoted cigar smokers to the web: information travels quickly, opinions flow freely and there’s almost nothing a cigar producer can do to control the message.

Tony Casas – Casas Fumando

Honestly, I feel that most of the manufacturers see bloggers simply as free exposure. This isn’t always the case, as there are quite a few companies out there that work really well with us bloggers. But, in a lot of cases, free exposure is exactly what we are. I would like to think that we are a bit more than just free press and that our opinions are well respected by manufactures but sometimes it’s not the case.

Anytime opinions come into play there are bound to be conflicts. This falls into place with just about any type of product in the world. Someone creates something that they believe is great, then someone comes along and not only disagrees, but spreads word of just how they feel about that product…
You have to consider that not every person will have the same opinion about anything at all. There is bound to be variance…

There are a handful of great brand owners out there who care about how we feel about their product, converse with us, and take the time to relate with us. One thing that we need to realize is that a lot of manufacturers are concerned about their bottom line…

Jerry Cruz – Stogie Review

I find that manufacturer’s relationshipd with those of us in the “new media” has a direct correlation to how involved that manufacturer is with social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc,)…

You will find those who participate in the conversation like Tatuaje, Illusione, CAO, La Aurora, Ernesto Perez Carrillo, Oliva and Rocky Patel are much more supportive and generous with their time and resources than say those who have a minimum presence like Fuente, Padron, General and Altadis…

I think the one reason some may not take us seriously is our lack of staying power. Conventional media has proven that it can stand the test of time whether its boom or lean times in the cigar industry. New media hasn’t proven that we can do that…

Lindsay Heller, Tobacconist and blogger – www.lindsayheller.com

As someone who is on both sides of the fence, both working in the cigar industry and being a blogger, I know from a multitude of personal conversations that these manufacturers genuinely like the bloggers and all the free press they provide…

Cigar makers and their PR people are not dumb. Everything they do with respect to social media and personal interaction with fans is calculated to varying degrees, knowing that their actions will result in favourable exposure. It costs companies pennies on the dollar to send out a few sticks here and there to bloggers to write about & while giddily accepting these cigars, the bloggers more often than not post kind reviews… When you go to IPCPR and Ernie Pérez-Carrillo buys a few bloggers a round of drinks, yes he does it because he’s genuinely a nice guy, but also that was a business expense that will only exist in print as a tax write-off and gets him glowing praise in the blogosphere…

Barry Stein – A Cigar Smoker’s Journal

For the most part I believe that bloggers are a valid voice of the cigar world and aren’t much different than those who take part in cigar forums…Those who do not take us as a valid voice are behind the times.

The sad part is some old school cigar companies don’t grasp the power of new media and social media so they begin to fall behind. I wont mention names but I’ll try to make it a short story. I used to smoke a brand all the time, as I became a new media savy individual I branched out and tried new sticks. Well I can’t tell you the last time I smoked that company because the saying, out of sight out of mind, holds true.

Are we free advertising, yes we are. Are we accepted, yes but not by all. . But the issue is for every legit site there are 3-5 sites that are in it for the wrong reason and until we find a way to form a solid network of peers we will be stuck somewhere in the middle.

Jon Huber, Director of Lifestyle Marketing – CAO International

I can’t speak for all manufacturers; however, social media in and of itself has changed the way in which I do business. The advent of Twitter and Facebook has nearly rendered the old traditional ‘press release’ obsolete.

To that point, I believe the cigar blogging community is an essential force in our industry today. I know firsthand how vital and influential the blogger community can be to the success of a given brand. I have a great deal of respect for the bloggers; as a whole, they seem to be passionate about our industry and quite knowledgeable.

That said, if I had one ‘request’ to make to get across to bloggers it would be this: PLEASE don’t put so much emphasis upon the ‘burn’ and/or the ‘burn rate’ or how ‘razor straight’ the burn line is on a cigar. The most important attributes in a cigar are flavor, aroma, and draw—period. The ‘cosmetic’ factors are a part of it, but I’ve seen some cigars get slammed online just because they didn’t burn straight or needed a ‘touch-up.’ People, this is what LIGHTERS are made for.

RAN OUT OF ROOM - THERE IS A TEXT LIMIT. REST OF ARTICLE HERE.

[darkleeroy]

Before I start I just wanna say that the comment by Barry Stein, "I won't mention names but I'll try to make it a short story..." Although unintentional (Barry's smoked quite a few Fuentes and has even posted reviews on them) cigar puns still make me chuckle.

I would say that it depends, not every blog can reach a significant amount of people, and to blanket cigar blogging as a whole is unfair. To the industry, those blogs that reach a high amount of readers are more important than those blogs whose readership consists of the author and his or her close friends.

Ultimately those blogs described above whose worth is high help set the ongoing trends of the industry, along with forums, publications, and B&M's.

[OHRD]

lol - Great catch Josh, didn't see that from Barry, but I am pretty sure AF is in the list he didn't mention...

thanks for reading, and for commenting.

[Mr. Ed]

The brands that do participate in the blogosphere and social media such as Tatuaje, Illusione, Padilla, are 'boutique' brands. It seems they make and market cigars for those of us invested into the hobby and lifestyle, not your casual cigar smoker. I think many people that participate on forums like this or regularly follow cigar blogs are serious cigar smokers, so it's only logical to go after this group because it's their lifeblood. I rarely see anyone reviewing something from General or Altadis anymore.

I'm amazed that there are 53,000 unique visitors to Stogie Guys a month. How big do you think this "serious" cigar smoking population is?

[OHRD]

Originally Posted by Mr. Ed

The brands that do participate in the blogosphere and social media such as Tatuaje, Illusione, Padilla, are 'boutique' brands. It seems they make and market cigars for those of us invested into the hobby and lifestyle, not your casual cigar smoker. I think many people that participate on forums like this or regularly follow cigar blogs are serious cigar smokers, so it's only logical to go after this group because it's their lifeblood. I rarely see anyone reviewing something from General or Altadis anymore.

I'm amazed that there are 53,000 unique visitors to Stogie Guys a month. How big do you think this "serious" cigar smoking population is?

Very true - reviews are definitely boutique heavy these days, and the big guys seem to be ok w/ that for whatever reason. I guess they bring in enough money to not have to worry w/ it all that much, which to me says "disconnected."

No idea how big the population is, interesting question, but for those online, and socially active, I think SG has a fair share of them!

[darkleeroy]

In perspective, not that big, there are currently 500,000,000 facebook accounts. So we can say that the population of internet users is at least that big. Every month, Stogie Guys reaches 53,000 people or approximately .01% of the internet population a month.

We feel big because we are a tightly knit community, but in actuality, we're just special

[Mr. Ed]

Originally Posted by matthewjmichael

. I guess they bring in enough money to not have to worry w/ it all that much, which to me says "disconnected."

Maybe a lack of dynamism in the case of Altadis and General. Altadis is itself part of Imperial Tobacco, a multinational corporation. The big boys in every industry always seem to lag behind in social media trends.

In the case of Fuente and Padron, I think most people (including both casual and serious smokers) know they produce high quality product that doesn't need to be advertised (Opus, Anejo, 1926, 1964 basically sell themselves).

The Tatuajes, Padillas, United Tobacco, Illusione need this sort of participation to stay afloat. I would wager that most of customers that buy their product are serious cigar smokers (people that can be reached through blogs, websites, and forums).

[darkleeroy]

As long as there are specialty cigar stores, I wouldn't say our beloved boutique cigar makers need to have an internet presence. Cause honestly, cigars speak for themselves. Sure, there's fancy bands and what not. But ultimately a "serious" cigar smoker makes his decisions based on the qualities of the cigar itself.

Likewise, a bored B&M owner is going to sit there and smoke all of the cigars he has in stock, and he's going to develop an opinion on what's good and what's bad. And as a result, those boutique brands still get sold.

I've been away from the online cigar community for a couple of years, in that time, I still knew the boutique brands by stopping by my B&M every couple of weeks.

Online media aids, it doesn't define. If there was no online media, I still think our boutique brands would be kicking.

Ultimately, General, Altadis, and JC Newman still sell more cigars a month than boutiques sell a year.

[awsmith4]

Does social media include forums? If so Fuente has Cigar Family

[OHRD]

Originally Posted by awsmith4

Does social media include forums? If so Fuente has Cigar Family

I'd say it does, but the only thing with forums, is that companies can set them up, and then step back, and let it run itself - it looks like the company engages b/c they own the forum, but really they are just creating a vehicle with their name on it.

For instance, Camacho owns Social Cigar, but I am not sure how much they really interact on it...

I will say this, I spent a fair amount of my time with Patrick Semmens and Patrick Mize of the Stogie Guys blog...they were very dedicated to the hobby, knew what they were talking about, and do a great job of reviewing cigars. They are two of the best people I have met involved in one level of the premium tobacco industry or another. I am not a big reader of cigar blogs, but I have since become a fan of theirs'...