Friday, August 27 2010
By Gary Korb
If you're an avid cigar smoker, chances are you've heard the name Rocky Patel. Chances are you also have at least a few Rocky Patel cigars in your collection. The story of how Rocky has gone from boutique cigar maker to major manufacturer has been told in innumerable articles and interviews over the years. This article is not another retelling of Rocky's success story. For that, just Google his name and you'll find plenty of material. What I want to get into here is one of the ways in which Rocky has become so successful. It can be summed up quite simply in three words: the human element.
They used to call James Brown "the hardest working man in show business." If the cigar business has a "James Brown," you can bet your best cigars it's Rocky Patel. Like many cigar manufacturers, Rocky takes his show on the road by traveling around the country visiting cigar store after cigar store in a continual effort to stay in touch with his public. Not unlike a rock star, the fans show-up in droves to meet him. The only thing missing is the tour bus. When he's not visiting a store, Rocky's in Nicaragua at his new factory, Tabac Villa Cuba S.A., checking some new wrapper leaf, or he's in Honduras hosting some guests who've come to take one of his tours, or he's in Washington, D.C. making a case for Cigar Rights of America. To put it mildly, Rocky probably gets less sleep than Winston Churchill did at the height of World War II.
Where he gets the energy to keep going is a subject for another article, not to mention a bit bewildering for his personal physician. But what inspired me to write this piece is what I observed at a recent in-store event he did at Famous Smoke Shop. On this particular day it wasn't just the "love" his fans brought to the event, what really hit me was just how much he gives back. As I relaxed in one of the store's leather wingback chairs smoking a Cargo, one of Rocky's new cigars, I had a front row seat for taking it all in.
Rocky is constantly moving about the store mingling with the customers, taking time to answer their questions. He's inside, then he's out on the patio, then back in the store. Several people have just won a Rocky Patel display piece - a giant-sized wooden replica of an Old World Reserve cigar, among other variations of the piece. As Rocky takes a break on the couch, the winners approach and he gladly signs the trophy while also posing for a photo op. I've been to a lot of Rocky Patel events over the years, from trade shows to cigar dinners to in-stores, and I've never seen Rocky refuse an autograph. The party that day went right up to closing time at 9:00 PM. If you've been to a Rocky Patel event, you know what I've just described.
So what's the takeaway in all this? From those early Indian Tabac days through his steady rise to "Cigar Star," he continues to adhere to the most basic principle when it comes to marketing cigars - keep in touch with your audience and listen to them.
In fairness to other manufacturers, Rocky's not alone in this regard. They know the rule, too, and it's no coincidence that the most successful cigar companies are also the ones that put themselves out there and work their product. Some names that immediately come to mind are Perdomo, Alec Bradley, Oliva, Nestor Miranda, EO Brands, and Drew Estate.
The cigar business isn't just about what you read in the trades or smoking the next great cigar. It's also about the shared experience of enjoying good cigars with friends, and a friend is how Rocky comes across when you meet him. You can make the greatest cigar in the world, lower your prices, give away cigars, swag, whatever, but without the human element to bind it, like a poorly made cigar, eventually it will all come undone.
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