Case Study
A Cuban Legacy
Miami-based Padilla Cigars has made quite a stir in a short period of time. Emerging from a storied Cuban heritage and headed by the charismatic Ernesto Padilla (son of famous Cuban poet Heberto Padilla), the company has set out to reinvent the cigar industry. From its early stages, Padilla Cigars has retained FA as its creative agency, challenging the conservative industry with contemporary creative and visual design.
The Poetry
Padilla Cigars and FA authored a brand strategy that celebrated the Padilla name and their rich family history. One of Cuba's most prominent figures of the 20th century, Heberto would become the flagship of the brand -- his image and poetry speaking of the culture, rugged individualism and bold character found in each cigar.
Distilling Visuals
Working to relate the Padilla Logo to Heberto, the poet, we developed a 'P' insignia that hints at a plume from a classical ink-well pen.
Enduring History
Inspired by the narrative of the Padilla family from their migration to Cuba, Heberto's remarkable life and Ernesto's creation of Padilla Cigars, we crafted the headline "A Cuban Legacy", as it describes the rich family history as well as the cigar itself. We created a series of unique ads using images from the Padilla's private archives to depict important dates along the Padilla timeline.
Best of Breed
FA is continuously pushing to innovate the way Padilla Cigars is perceived in the market place, designing for a brand touchpoints of challenges including cigar labels, box vistas, online, brochures, t-shirt designs and more. In the past few years Padilla Cigars has gained market share and earned a reputation of excellence. Padilla was named Top 25 Cigars of the Year by Cigar Aficionado two years in a row and counting.