Southern Draw Cigars is bringing the crowdsourcing method to premium cigars. They will be looking to their loyal consumers, valued retail partners and cigar media members to help in selecting their next new brand. The project will utilize a Quick Response (QR) portal that can be accessed from a mobile device that will allow participants to input information including reviews, ratings, and recommendations on an upcoming cigar project from Southern Draw set to be launched in 2023, with plans for a similar campaign that will bring a follow up launch in 2024.
Peccadilloes translates in English to “Small Sins” and is a way to harken back to the refined skills required to produce some of the classic small cigar sizes. For consumers who don’t always demand larger and more powerful cigars, they want to focus on the quality of the smoking experience above and beyond cost or image.
Robert Holt said, “We have spent years trying to dream up how best to consider the feedback of those outside the family and partners, not after the fact but rather during the process, going through prototyping and focus groups, enabling for consumer reviews even before the commercial release. We decided to accomplish that we needed to crowdsource our new product development through our QR code portal and through our popular social media channels to accomplish a couple of goals”:
– Shorten the product development lifecycle and limit the project costs by investing in those that have invested in us
– Develop new brands and cigar products that are pre-validated by our consumers because they were determined by the consumers
– Reveal the blend and origin of tobaccos only after the survey is completed, DO NOT skew the data with preconceived notions
Sharon Holt added, “We have relevant, core products, and we have the channels to sell them, to market them, and to distribute them, but we haven’t previously embraced the ideas of those that actually buy, sell and promote our cigars. If this is to truly be a “family affair” we need to
incorporate their great ideas, and that’s why we turned to crowdsourcing.”
Southern Draw will offer the Peccadilloes, with 10,000 mazos or bundles, with four blends. Each cigar enclosed will be a 6 x 42 corona size made by hand at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez de Nicaragua, SA (Estelí, Nicaragua). Consumers should expect the MSRP to be about $20.00, with finalized pricing to be set at the release date on February 1, 2022.
When a winning blend, size and format has been determined, Southern Draw will randomly select a Grand Prize winner from everyone who completes their survey, awarding over $25,000 in prizes from select vendors including BOX #1 signed by the SDC family, an all-expenses paid trip and active participation in the one-of-a-kind launch event as member of the Southern Draw Cigars family and the gratitude of all the humble hard-working hands of Nicaragua that have labored to take a step back in time to the world of “small” ring gauge cigars.