Azan Cigars: The Making of a Magazine Ad
Paul Palmer, Max Fernandez-Pujals and Master Blender Arsenio Ramos
Azan Cigars, a no nonsense cigar making company, begins 2014 launching its first national print campaign.
All cigar manufacturers bring a different taste profile to beginners and aficionados alike. They all want to highlight what makes their cigars great and unique. Azan is no exception – the company is one of the best kept secrets in the history of Cuban cigar brands. Azan was founded by a group of Chinese immigrants back in 1928. Kwan Ben Sen (known as Domingo Azan) with his brothers started making handmade cigars in Manicaragua, Cuba (located in the province of Villa Clara).
Above: Fabrica de Tabacos Azan y Hermanos. Late 1920′s.
The re-launch of an old Cuban cigar. Today, Roberto Pelayo Duran, is bringing back the Azan name and he aims to offer the same quality, construction and detail which he exceeded from those he supervised while in Cuba. Roberto brings his style and personality to cigar making and he wanted the re-launch and branding efforts to reflect the same. “I want to focus on quality, not quantity – Azan for me is back to basics. It’s back to making cigars in the old Cuban tradition of perfect balance and the lost art of progressive flavor construction and technique” states Roberto.
Above: Roberto Pelayo Duran (left) oversees production in his Esteli factory in Nicaragua.
Azan is ready for its U.S. introduction – in comes the creatives at CIHYA. After meeting with Roberto and understanding how he wanted the brand positioned, we (CIHYA) came up with the the following core message – “No Leather, No Chocolate, No Frills”. This refers to taste notes and profiles many cigars tasting panels often refer to. But most important, this message keeps true to the company’s classic cigar making approach.
Above: Photographer Osiris Ramirez zooms in on Azan’s White Premium, Burgundy and the soon to be released Maduro Natural.
The cigars are ready for the spotlight. We first needed great photographs of Azan’s line up. We once again reached out to our good friend and photographer Osi Ramirez for this product shoot. Armed with our core message and great images from Osi, we set out to create a “no nonsense” ad which focuses on Azan’s three cigar blends. Azan’s new ad can be seen nationwide on the current issue (Jan/Feb 2014) of Cigar Snob Magazine.
Above: Azan’s new print campaign featured on Cigar Snob Magazine, Jan/Feb 2014 issue.
From sketch, to concept, to photo shoot, to final product. We took on this project on a short deadline and lead the way with creativeness and professionalism. The ad has been welcomed with great energy by Roberto and his sales team. The new ad is being used as a sales tools and is opening doors to more brick-and-mortar cigar shops throughout the U.S. and paving the way for Azan’s growth and success.
Above: American Caribbean Cigars’ 20′ x 30′ booth at this year’s IPCPR in Las Vegas
Also for the second year in a row, we get to work with Mr. Damian Tapanes, from American Caribbean Cigars (ACC). This year ACC went big with a 20’ x 30’ booth that housed four cigar brands: 1) La Rosa de Sandiego, 2) Don Gonzalez Cigars, 3) Tabacosta Cigars and 4) Cordoba & Morales. A design and floorpan layout was created in order to maximize the space, while giving each cigar line/brand their own area to shine. A 16’ tower graphic stood tall at the center of the floorplan and helped tie the booth space together. We look forward to helping ACC stand out once more at next year’s IPCPR in Las Vegas.
Above: Duran Cigars’ 20′ x 30′ booth at this year’s IPCPR in Las Vegas
We’ve been working with Mr. Roberto P. Duran of Duran Cigars since 2013. At the 82nd annual IPCPR trade show in 2014, our booth design won ’Best In Show for New Exhibitor’, a recognition we’re extremely proud of. This year, our booth design and approach combines a warm color palette, original and lifestyle images that showcased the art and craftsmanship of cigar making and manufacturing, all anchored by a 16-ft. tower that stands tall in the middle of the booth. In addition, four large display cabinets with custom graphics were positioned around the booth to display product plus served as storage space. In addition to the booth design and layout, we created packaging for the ’Azan Blue Connecticut’, ’Neya Texas Tactical’, ’NicaTabaco Blend No.5 Connecticut’ and a new ‘5-cigar sampler pack’ for Duran Cigars – all new releases at this year’s IPCPR.
So whether is your first year at the show, or the sixth like us, our goal is the same – Creating great work is not complicated, it’s simple. We work smart (and hard), play nice, and make our clients look good. So give us a shout out and let us know how we can help you get ready for next year’s show.