Cigar Article: A Bloggers Place Within the Industry
Posted by toasted on Aug 17, 2010 in Articles | 33 comments
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 relationships 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.
John Brooke, Former cigar blogger; Public & Media Relations – Drew Estate
All we ask from bloggers is that they give our products a fair review. Good or bad, we still value their opinions. We’d obviously love to hear good opinions, but everyone has different palates. Cigars wouldn’t be nearly as interesting if everyone smoked the same cigars.
I’m a little biased, since this is what I do for a living, but “social media” is the best form of advertising out there, in my opinion. Services like Facebook, Twitter, and forums allow us to interact with our consumers like never before. Unfortunately, we as consumers have trained ourselves to ignore traditional advertising, such as commercials, billboards, etc. I’m not saying that traditional advertising has no merit, but with “social media”, we can interact with our consumers instead of trying to force our product on them. Also, social networks give our fans a place to interact with each other.
Bryan White, Brand Owner – 13th Floor Cigars
I truly believe that the blogging community provides a tremendous value to the cigar industry, especially for the smaller boutique companies…
In our case, as with a lot of the small/mid-size companies, we don’t have a multi-million dollar marketing budget. We rely on word of mouth and “guerilla marketing tactics” to drive our brands forward into the market. The reputable cigar bloggers out there help drive the opportunity for us to quickly and effectively reach a wider audience than traditional marketing strategies.
On the other hand, there is also a growing issue with what seems to be a small group of bloggers that are out there to “weasel” cigars from the manufacturers. I personally have not run into this yet, possibly because we are fairly new in the market (or we’ve just been lucky). In fact I talked with two, which I would consider very reputable cigar bloggers last week – both asked where they could purchase our cigars for review. Both of these bloggers I just mentioned, I contacted directly to initiate conversation – they were not asking for handouts. I believe that just like anything the cream will rise to the top…
Brad Mayo, Brand Owner – Jameson Cigars
I’ve supported (or at least tried to) the cigar blogging community since our inception around three years ago. Legit bloggers sacrifice their time, money, and effort in order to contribute to the overall cigar community and should be commended for it. As a growing mouthpiece for this industry the bloggers have a responsibility to maintain credibility as well as educate their readership. A network of responsible, dedicated bloggers only serves to grow this passion of ours and push it to the next level.
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Full Comment from Lindsay Heller:
For the most part the cigar manufacturers many smokers and bloggers alike
treat like demi-gods are good guys: hard-working, charismatic, and have a
genuine love for tobacco and the industry itself. 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. The one element many people fail to see is that this is a
symbiotic relationship.
Forget the bloggers who receive moneys by engaging in a marketing
relationship with a manufacturer, but examine the ‘Average Joe’ blogger
who just does this for fun: they get on lists to receive press releases,
go to events and contact manufacturers asking for samples to review, and
if they receive swag in the process they proudly wear it. While this is
all well and good, first and foremost ‘Average Joe’ is ecstatic because he
got some ‘insider info’, stuff he loves for free AND because it came
directly from a factory or manufacturer’s HQ he automatically he can’t
help but feel ‘cool’. Secondly numerous bloggers have said repeatedly
that if they really don’t like a specific cigar they just won’t post a
review or publicly speak up about it in an overly inflammatory light.
Last but certainly not least, these bloggers are doing EXACTLY what all
the manufacturers had hoped they would do in the first place.
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. (It is
part of the human psyche to automatically inject some amount of positivity
when assessing something — in this case, a cigar — that comes to someone
through favourable means.) 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, thus in turn allowing more smokers to continue to patronize
his product because not only is it good, but he’s so nice to ‘Average Joe’
that smokers feel better about giving their money to his company.
Social media is everywhere and it is dominating nearly every facet of
daily life. With that being said, while there exists a genuine likability
between manufacturers and bloggers, the manufacturers are well aware that
the mostly positive free press they receive can at times be just as
precious as the ads they pay for in magazines. Bloggers are today’s
built-in focus groups for product testing and to gauge the possible
popularity of a cigar it is far cheaper to send out a few sticks to 20
bloggers & get their opinions than it would be to engage in traditional
market testing throughout the targeted demographics. I hate to say it to
many of you bloggers out there, but from a business standpoint, the
manufacturer is reaping a much larger benefit than you in this case.
Full comment from Barry Stein:
For the most part I believe that bloggers are a valid voice of the cigar world and aren’t much different then those who take part in cigar forums. Over the last few years that I have been active I saw many lines that have been made by forums and bloggers. I have also seen lines trounced as well. Those who do not take us as a valid voice are behind the times.
New Media is the way most people get their news. I can’t tell you the last time I personally bought a magazine or newspaper and I know I am not alone. I was stopped a couple of times on the show floor to hear the words “I read your site every day, and I use your information on wether or not to try a new cigar”. To hear this from a few people means my voice has grown and as conceited as that sounds I try to remain humble. I tell people I am only one voice and that my tasting notes should not be the make or break factor.
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 ill 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.
A perfect example of how new media is strong is the Miami Cigar Company. Here is a group that has really embraced new media and social media. The result is people are now rediscovering la aurora and from where I stand this is a good thing. And if you want to go the boutique route, look at Sean Williams and Primer Mundo. If it wasn’t for twitter I would of never heard of them and I hear he had a good IPCPR show.
Are we free advertising yes we are. Are we accepted, yes but not by all. . But the issue is for every legit site like toastedfoot.com or acigarsmoker.com 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.
Full comment from Jerry Cruz:
I find that manufacturers relationship with those of us in the “new media” has a direct correlation to how involved that manufacturer is with social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc,). Minimum social media presence vs. engages conversation and promotes discussion.
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. You also have a grey area containing manufacturers that are on the fence about social/new media. Manufacturers like JC Newman or Alec Bradley who use it but haven’t developed a plan or found a way to gauge its effectiveness.
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. Take a look at how many cigar sites start up and then disappear 6 months, a year down the road or sites that start off with a burst of posts and then can’t maintain that pace? With a few exceptions like Cigar Radio or Doc Stogie Fresh, established sites are not immune to this either. Staying power and posting on a consistent basis are the two biggest hurdles we face.
Full comment from Bryan White:
I truly believe that the blogging community provides a tremendous value to the cigar industry especially for the smaller boutique companies. There are several blogs out there that provide honest, informative, critical reviews to inform cigar enthusiasts about their choices out in the market.
In our case, as with a lot of the small/mid-size companies we don’t have a multi-million dollar marketing budget. We rely on word of mouth and “guerilla marketing tactics” to drive our brands forward into the market. The reputable cigar bloggers out there help drive the opportunity for us to quickly and effectively reach a wider audience than traditional marketing strategies.
On the other hand, there is also a growing issue with what seems to be a small group of bloggers that are out there to “weasel” cigars from the manufacturers. I personally have not run into this yet, possibly because we are fairly new in the market (or we’ve just been lucky). In fact I talked with two, which I would consider, very reputable cigar bloggers last week – both asked where they could purchase our cigars for review. Both of these bloggers I just mentioned, I contacted directly to initiate conversation – they were not asking for handouts. I believe that just like anything the cream will rise to the top – those bloggers out there that truly put the effort into delivering honest, unbiased, informative/substantive feedback will continue to grow and gain a long-standing and valua
Full comments from Brad, Jon, Patrick, and John were included in original article.
Full comment from Tony Casas:
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.
When I first started doing simple reviews, I always wanted the acceptance of the manufactures, but as you really start getting into it and putting your passion where your mouth is, you realize that no matter what you do, bridges are bound to get burned. Taking un-biased, opinionated approaches to something so subjective as to one’s personal cigar smoking experience can cause any manufacturer to step back and put on their best defensive suit in order to protect their brand. Anytime opinions come into play there are bound to be conflicts. This falls into place with just about any type other 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. This isn’t always the case, but I think that would cause anyone who is so passionate about their product to be forced into taking people, such as bloggers lightly. I’m not saying by any means that it’s ok for a manufacturer to trash a blogger who passionately, and freely exposed their feelings about a product, but it does force any manufacturer to take any words spoken by such a person with a grain of salt. As long as the mutual respect is given from the blogger to the manufacturer then I have no problem with that.
You have to consider that not every person will have the same opinion about anything at all. There is bound to be variance, that’s just the way humans are wired. If we were all the same then there wouldn’t be the need for so many cigars and manufactures, there would be just one that everyone loved. As they say, variety is the spice of life. So one persons dislike should not create a negative relationship but rather be taken as constructive criticism. Especially when it’s done be people such as myself who just enjoy the cigar experience and community and enjoy giving back whatever I can.
As I was talking with Matthew I explained to him that I am a tad on the nonchalant side when it comes to my reviews. I could frankly care less about how much someone dislikes, hates, and disrespects me as long as there are a few readers who enjoyed a write up I did. I didn’t get into this for pats on the back, to become a superstar, or for freebies. I did it simply to share my personal experiences with others. Being disrespected from time to time and running into interference is part of the game. 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. To them it is just a business, a means to an end, and a job they perform because they have to. Their brand is their life and they will do whatever they can to protect it.
I am honestly super happy to see a few manufacturer’s chime in on this write up. It pleases me and actually surpasses my expectations to hear just how much a few of you value our opinions. I think I can speak for any blogger of almost any type in saying that its tough, and dedicated work, and just hearing that someone appreciated, or respected something we have said makes it all worth it
Good stuff here…interesting and well-written. As for the question of how the companies should feel about us bloggers…I think if we express an honest opinion and do not take an insulting tone in our writing (or video) there should be nothing for the manufacturer to be too unhappy about. As one of them said above, we all have different palates, and if we writers are not blasting the company or the stick or the personality then there should be no problem. When I come across a cigar I don’t care for, I have taken to this approach: “it’s not for me, but it may appeal to….” My opinion is just my opinion and may not be shared by all…or even the majority in some cases.
As far as a blog’s validity, I think the only real way to tell if a blog is in it “for the right reasons” or “for the long haul” is to give them the benefit of the doubt until they prove otherwise. Assume they are in it for the right reasons unless they prove themselves a weasel. If a blog can make it through a year or more and still be consistently publishing new content, it’s a pretty fair indication that they will stick around a while. I’ve seen several blogs go belly-up in the last couple years since I’ve been blogging and for various reasons. One of my favorites just had to change their “online presence” to something more consistent so they had to drop out.
I know I’m not really anybody, but the main reason I wanted into reviewing, and jumped at the chance at cigarspy, was because I saw this great conversation going on and wanted to be part of it. Where I am the only people I have to smoke with are family. No herfs, no clubs, not even allowed to smoke inside shops. It really felt good to be able to express my opinion, and read the opinions of others who had tried the same cigar. In some ways that wish wasn’t fully realized, but I’m not going to stop because of it (or financial reasons.) The conversation that does exist is just too good not to want to be part of it.
Tony – I too was surprised, and I think there may be others with this opinion, and MAYBE there are more positives than negatives.
David – I agree that we should have a bit more patience and let a blog run its course, but there are still times when it is appropriate to step in, to protect what we do.
86 – That is awesome to hear, and that is definitely the right reason to go into it!
I’m looking at this from more than one perspective. I’m a sportswriter (college/pro basketball), work at a cigar shop (Hudson Valley Cigar), and tweet (about both).
My suspisions are that the average smoker expects to find honest, non-influenced reviews of cigars within the social community. Most people I listen to feel a direct link between ads in C.A. and their reviews and in similar cases most of the other magazines out there as well
Without objectivity, what’s the value of a review? FB/Twitter provide enough reviews and dialog to stimulate the interest and deliver the information many seek in selecting a new cigar to try.
In the interests of full disclosure, bloggers should feel compelled to reveal whether they purchased the cigars themmselves or were gifted by the manufacturer/distributor.
Very well written piece, nice to see the input from some companies. Part of the enjoyment I’ve received from cigar smoking is the aspect of community. Reviews and opinions are great, however, as David mentioned, they must be taken as opinions. There is an overwhelming amount of cigar info via the “new media” and it can be daunting to separate the wheat from the chaff. Your sincerity is refreshing.
Nice write-up guys. I really enjoy how you got the opinions of some bloggers and brand owners. I think for every bad apple there are usually a few more good apples. We will always run into the people who are in this for the business and not the passion. It’s bound to happen eventually. These people usually end up falling behind because it’s not always about the bottom line. Keep up the good work guys!
Absolutely there are times “to step in,” as you say. If someone does something flagrantly offensive, like, say…boycotting a manufacturer from their site if they don’t provide free samples, or something…they should be called out on it.
Mostly I think the wheat will separate from the chaff quite naturally, though.
I do agree that Social Media is a free source of advertising for manufacturers and all should get on the band wagon.
Personally speaking, I am just a cigar smoker, I’m not a blogger nor will I ever be on. I don’t review cigars because frankly I enjoy them too much to worry about writing a review on it (Yet alone put my ugly mug on a video, ahem JCruz). I don’t read cigar blogs regularly and when I do it is strictly for entertainment. I feel that no one has the same palette that I have and feel that I always need to give a cigar a try (or 3-5) before I choose to take it out of my humidor.
My only personal issue about a majority of cigar blogs is that they don’t really realize the power that they have. When they smoke 1 cigar, they are quick to write a negative review on that cigar……YOUR SMOKING ONE! I don’t know about you but I’ve had eggs before that I didn’t care about…………but I didn’t count egg’s out of my breakfast menu. Get my drift? It is IMPOSSIBLE to smoke 1 cigar and already have a review. IMPOSSIBLE, I don’t care what anyone says. I smoke 3-5 cigars before I count a cigar out.
by the way I love my purple icon………very “manly”
Along with Thomas, I’m not a blogger per se. I’m a cigar smoker. I love cigars and I really enjoy reading other’s thoughts on various cigars, shops, brand, etc etc. I appreciate the time and energy you guys put into writing the blogs and the opinions offered. I often don’t agree with them, but more often than not, I end up learning something.
Social media is not just the wave of the future, it’s the here and now. While I still read print cigar magazines, I can get instant info on cigars and such from Twitter, FB blogs etc. And I can engage in conversation about cigars often with those who are on the “front lines” so to speak. I love that.
Keep up the great work…All of you.
Wow a lot of reading in this one LOL. But a great piece indeed. I would like to think that most manufactures respect the true bloogers out there (even a bad cigar gets explained rather then “this cigar sucks” that you may get from a forum review) that are doing a good job, and you can see this by all the interviews and videos they are now doing with them. And it’s great seeing a lot of the manufactures now doing social media, it is very important to connect with the people using their products and getting to know them better.
The main issue that I see with the bloogers and the social media is that there are not enough B&Ms paying attention to them. Its awesome when smokers find a small company like the ones mentioned above because of the internet, but if the B&Ms are not paying attention then it almost does no good to learn about this cigars if you can’t find them and buy them. There are a few out there that pay attention, follow, and get these cigars, and it is a big bonus for them! Just wish more would follow their lead.
I think most manufacturers are coming around to the 21st century and realizing the impact social media has on their business. At least I hope they are
I am surprised that more do not embrace the bloggers with open arms, mainly from a cost stand point. If you advertise is a magazine it cost thousands of dollars to get an ad in place, then you have to wait till the magazine is printed to even let people see the product. With bloggers, there is no up front fee other than to send out 5 or so sticks for review. That’s it. You can get the word out about your product so much faster online than anything in print! It isn’t even close.
Now on the other hand, I think some manufacturers may be a little scared because if a couple blogs do not like the cigar, it could have a negative impact. Palettes are not the same but if a few sites say a cigar is not worth trying, I will probably skip it.
Now, like Cigars Thomas says, a full review should be done with 4-5 cigars. Only problem is, if the manufacturer sends them out, they do not always include that many. If it is a cigar that is not out yet, there is nothing that can be done. I know over at Stogie Review, we will do first impressions and also will let you know if we did not get to smoke as many as we normally do for a review.
Since joining Stogie Review I have noticed a ton of other sites come and go. I did not realize how many there were till I got involved. With the sheer number of people trying to make cigar blogs, I can fully understand manufacturers not wanting to send out hundreds or thousands of cigars for review. I would say, pick and choose. Wait to see if the new sites are serious about putting the time and money behind the site.
Was asked my perspective on other blogs since joining SR. Hmmm. I guess I have more respect for the people who are serious about their site due to the amount of time and money involved in it. When I was just a viewer I thought as most other people do, reviewers get the cigars free. WRONG. Everyone at SR at least has paid for cigars, equipment, hotel rooms, food, etc so we can get the content people want to see.
Now there are some sites that do not make any effort to do much on their own but they sure can send off tons of emails to try and get free product. Those are the sites that will not last and being involved with one of the good sites has made me realize how awful they really are.
Oh one other thing I have noticed is how passionate people are about their cigars!
Also, every manufacturer has been very nice that I have met and tried to help where they could with questions and such, except a few. I will not name names but when you have questions that people want answers to and you tell me to email them to you and you will get them answered, you should do that and not just ignore me :p
Before posting this. maybe you can rearrange items to make it readable LOL I think it is all over the place. Hopefully I answered the original question too HAHHAHAHHA
Thsoe damn bloogers
I think I’m ok w/ blooger – maybe it’s more appropriate than blogger…
In response to the local B&M thing posted by tx_tuff, I’ll say that he’s pretty on the nose. Luckily for me one of my local B&M’s asked for printouts of my reviews as I do them, and then passes those on to their boss, hoping for a change in the way things are done in store. Nothing has happened yet, but with time, maybe.
Frank you are absolutely right. There are not enough B&M’s paying attention to online trends, however I do see more and more making that shift. Facebook has over 300 million users. That number includes teenagers, parents, grandparents and even grandparents. It has no age boundaries.
I see more and more shops with 60 year old owners popping up on facebook. There are some sites out there trying to capture the social networking aspect outside of the blogosphere as well (*cough*CigarFriendly.us*cough*) that are attempting to bridge the gap between Manufacturers, B&M’s and Customers in the online space. Some new sister sites are coming soon which will tie them together even closer.
The biggest thing to remember is you just have to take it serious. Anyone who pops in the blog world just for free cigars, they will be weeded out, sadly it also gives the rest of us who simply want to further our hobby a bad name. I have been offered cigars from manufacturers who asked if I do reviews on my website. I do not do reviews. I know the flavor profile I like, but I couldn’t tell you if it was oregano or thyme, molasses or chocolate, hayseed or dixie.
Am I partnered with a review site? Yes. Am I building a large scale review site? Yes. Do I want free cigars to review? No. I don’t feel anyone who reviews a product should get it for free.
I hate Heineken. I think it tastes skunked. The last one I had was given to me by Don Pepin Garcia and Jose Ortega. I drank it. It was fantastic. Perhaps it was the 40 cigars I had smoked in the 4 days leading up to it that had destroyed my taste buds, who knows. I would assume it just had such a nice “thought” behind it, my brain refused to let it taste bad.
Likewise, I surprised Jesus Fuego with a bottle of his favorite wine. I knew his favorite was the 2006, but I could not find it. I got him the 2008. He had the 2008 before and while he enjoyed it, he still preferred the 2006. He got half way through a glass of it before he proclaimed, “This is better than the 2006. I don’t know if it’s because of the thought behind it, but I like this one more.”
While in a perfect world, it would be nice not to have to fund our own research, I believe it skews our brains and results to much. That being said, our opinions as customers and “new media” types, should be respected and even encouraged by manufacturers. I do however think more manufacturers should consider purchasing advertising space on the larger and more serious blogs and websites however. The money goes back into the product and provides us the ability to continue to advertise for them and the industry.
As a retailer we are pretty concerned with staying relevent in a social media context. To me, that means that we should be paying attention to bloggers. I really llike the the model that EPC is using, heck, they got written up in the NY Times for their use of new media. For the price of a 1/4 page in CA, they’ve implemented an integrated social media strategy that will probably be copied many times in the future.
Personally, we’ve found 4-5 of our good manufacturers through social media/bloggers, I’m hoping we find 5 or 6 more.
Great article, well written, cogent. If I could write like that, I’d have a blog, too!
great read! nice job man.
Dan
Jeff – that is awesome to hear, and the biggest complement that blogs could receive in my opinion, that you’ve actually found manufacturers via social media and blogs. Awesome, just awesome!
Right on.
Very well thought out, well presented and well written.
This is the best piece I have seen on the subject, including my own in that evaluation.
Great job.
Excellent article! Thanks so much for doing the homework and connecting with industry insiders on this matter. It is great to hear what they have to say, and I think a lot of this information will guide the way that I write reviews as a cigar smoker that is new to the art compared to most.
Thanks again!
Matthias
Great job on this article, extremely well written.
~brooks
First off, I can not express enough at how well written and thought out this article was – I must commend you on your presentation and delivery. Being a fellow blogger, I am a little partial in my response – I feel that we are all unaware of how powerful social media really is. It is a new method that really came out of no where a few years ago and has done nothing but expand in leaps and bounds. I started my site simply because my fiance said I couldn’t, then I got wrapped up into the community and realized I truly knew nothing and have really enjoyed the learning experience and friendships it has given me.
That being said, we also have to take it back a notch to the word of mouth – If Bob smokes a cigar that blogger X recommended and he likes it or doesn’t, more than likely he will share this experience to friends or acquaintances which may impact their purchasing decision. As others have said, I feel this is all a matter of respect and mutual understanding.
While so many pertinent things have been said at this point I still can’t resist putting in my two cents.
While yes, I am biased, I do think that bloggers perform a valuable service. For most of us, cigars are a passion that we kindle with an almost fanatical devotion. We spend inordinate amounts of time on Twitter, cigar boards, and chat rooms talking shop about cigars. What brands are coming out with new vitolas. Who’s got partial ownership of who these days. What’s the price point on a box of that? We do this because we LOVE TO DO IT. Every month I constantly lose money on my website. Why? Because I refuse to take ad-space and I pay for hosting out of pocket. Do I care? Not a damn bit.
Since this is a passion for us, most of us aren’t looking to earn heaps and gobs of money from this. So, we are removed from the fact that, yes, this is a business. We’re not a retailer looking at how well things will sell. We’re not a manufacturer looking at the bottom line. We’re not a magazine looking at how many copies we sell. We don’t have to make ends meet. Most of us work 9-5 jobs and do this on our off time, as a way to relax and engage in what we love the most. We don’t care about the money, we care about the products and work being invested in making said products. Simple as that.
As far as free things in the blogger world, I think it’s really overhyped. I would be lying to say that I’ve never received free cigars from companies to review. It’d just be a flat-out lie. But I don’t let that affect me. If anything I’m MORE tough on something I got for free because I HAVEN’T paid for it. If I buy a cigar to smoke, I’ve already plopped down my hard earned greenbacks for it and the deal is sealed. If someone sends something for me to review, it’s not a matter of “did I get my money’s worth” but rather “does it deserve my money in the first place”.
But yeah, my 2 cents worth. Also, just wanted to say that this is an amazingly well crafted piece and it’s an honor to be able to participate in this discussion.
Great comments Scott! That is exactly why we do it, for the love of it, and it is easy to lose fact, at times, of what their investment is…that requires constant reminding. Thanks for your perspective on this one brother!
First, excellent article – well thought out and superbly written!
Next, all fantastic comments by both industry manufacturers, insiders, bloggers, and “regular” cigar smokers — I fall into the latter category. I’m relatively new to cigars, since about 2005, so I frequently look to cigar reviews by bloggers and guest reviewers for their input. As several comments above noted, you really can’t “trust” a review or profile as described by a paid ad.
I also don’t just read one review before I plunk down my funds for a new cigar … or for repeat purchases. To make sure I’m not just twisting in the wind from dozens of bloggers’ opinions, once I find a blogger reviewing a cigar I’m interested in, I review their prior reviews of other cigars I’m familiar with to see if their tastes are similar to my own. Across bloggers, I also look for trends on a particular cigar – good, so-so, inconsistencies, etc. I even double check reviews if I had a cigar that I didn’t enjoy, to see if perhaps I had a “bad one” and should give it another try.
While I don’t have the time to be a full-blown cigar blogger (I blog on other topics elsewhere), I DO very frequently add my comments to others’ reviews, and I look for opportunities to provide guest cigar reviews on occasion (for example, in SMOKE Mag and this site (ToastedFoot.com)). That gives me a chance to see how my writing … and my experience at tasting and enjoying cigars stand up to others. So I am interactive with the bloggers, which, as a blogger, I know they really appreciate. But even more, that gives more information to readers, manufacturers and B&M’s … if they take the time to read it!!
So, to cigar bloggers – Rock On!! Stay the course – whether with free cigars or purchased ones, you each have your own style and method, and all are welcome! You’re doing a great job … one of love for the cigar lifestyle!
To B&M’s – heed the advice of the above commenters, and get out there into Social Media! Read the bloggers, find some in your area and invite them to have sessions in your shop!! Offer to host a herf … and then a virtual herf! Get involved yourself! I’ve spent hours mentoring local B&M’s and even several cigar manufacturers’ reps on how to use Social Media, gain from it, and build their business. There are many others like me out there willing to show you the way – just ask in your own cigar shop or lounge, and you WILL get volunteers!
And to cigar manufacturers – like all things, take the good with the bad. There are exceptional bloggers, there are good-but-working-to-be-great bloggers, there are so-so but still legit bloggers … and then there are the weasels. They’re easy to figure out … as the old adage goes, burn me once shame on you, burn me twice shame on me. There are also many other Social Media channels that you can utilize … they are just another means and method to get your name and brand out there. And, from a purely bottom-line perspective … Social Media is far, far cheaper than standard media.
Ok, I think I need to pay up … that was way more than two cents worth.