West Tampa Tobacco Company

The Context

West Tampa Tobacco Company is one of Tampa’s most exciting and rapidly growing cigar brands. The company is built around craftsmanship, community, and the expertise of master blender Rick Rodriguez.

The cigar industry is highly relationship-driven. Master blenders, brand owners, sales representatives, cigar-lounge operators, and cigar enthusiasts regularly meet at events and build long-term relationships with one another. Establishing recognizable personalities behind a brand is therefore especially important.

As West Tampa continued to grow, the company wanted to expand its visibility, reach a younger audience, and strengthen its social-media presence while preserving the refined and authentic identity associated with premium cigars.

What We Did

We attended West Tampa Tobacco Company events and documented the people, energy, and community surrounding the brand.

A major part of the strategy involved filming Gabe, the company’s new sales representative. Because personal recognition and industry relationships are essential in the cigar industry, West Tampa needed to introduce Gabe to the market, show him attending events, communicate his personality, and establish him as a visible representative of the company.

The cigar industry is particularly close-knit. Master blenders, sales representatives, cigar-lounge owners, brand owners, and cigar enthusiasts often know one another and regularly meet at industry events. It was therefore important to show Gabe actively participating in these events, presenting the products, interacting with people, and developing his own recognizable style within the industry.

We also produced customer interviews, testimonials, social proof, event highlights, participating cigar lounges, and videos capturing the overall atmosphere of each event. The ads were intentionally polished and classy while still feeling authentic to cigar culture.