Juan José undertook, a year ago, a new project together with his friend and partner Pablo Cia Bote. The FCCOM student created a small company, Diavla Hookah, dedicated to the sale of self-made hookahs. From the beginning, he used the world of social networks as a means to promote the brand. 

This idea arose as a result of the need to publicize the brand legally, since, according to current Spanish legislation, advertising campaigns cannot be carried out on products classified as "articles for smokers". Instagram, according to Juan José, was one of the closest and most immediate platforms to reach its target audience. In addition, that potential customers can feel closer to the brand. 

Q: Why did you decide to study Advertising and Public Relations?

A: At first I hesitated between Business Administration o Advertising and public relations. I finally opted for this career because I liked his subjects better.

Q: How and when did the idea of ​​setting up Diavla Hookah come about and what was the incentive to carry it out?

A: Diavla Hookah is a project that came out of my old teahouse. I wanted to go a step further in this sector and not be alone in the hookah lounge (a tea shop, where there are spaces where you can sit on sofas and be able to consume this type of product). This new project took several months of work until I was able to carry it out. Our goal is to position our brand in the top of main.

Q: What does it mean to start a company from scratch when you are still a student? 

A: First of all, you need to want to work and above all believe in your project. Once you have clear ideas and a defined strategy, you just need to get to work on it to get the capital or, failing that, request a loan. 

Q: When it comes to advertising your products, you use social networks a lot, specifically Instagram. Do you think that today, social networks are the future of advertising? How did you start using this tool to give visibility to the brand?

A: In my sector, advertising is illegal, so we cannot have paid promotions as they are articles for smokers. Our way of giving visibility and positioning the company is mainly through Instagram. 

I think that Instagram, thanks to the macro and micro influencers, is one of the best ways to advertise. Thanks to them, in my opinion, advertising is given greater credibility and closeness.

Q: Would you say that your main advertising tool is social networks? 

A: Our main tool is social networks 100%. Although another way of making yourself known, within this sector, is that shisha lounge, have your products and everyone who goes to them uses your brand. This can be extrapolated to other sectors, clearly. 

Q: Have you thought about carrying out or are you already carrying out advertising campaigns within the current legislation? 

A: We continuously carry out campaigns with influencers, all through social networks.

Q: What are your expectations for the future? And what about the brand?

A: My expectations for the future are to expand the lines of business, diversify with different products and open a new hookah lounge. With Diavla we already cover the entire national territory, but we want to finish positioning ourselves at the Spanish level. In addition, we want to start expanding to the rest of Europe.

Q: After having studied Advertising and Public Relations and, in addition, already advertising your brand through social networks, do you have any advice for someone who wants to use their social networks as a showcase for a project or brand?

The first thing, in my opinion, is to look at how your competition works and what kind of content they have. Then, you have to assess what they are doing right and wrong. With these data develop a strategy to follow. Also, I recommend looking for and always trying to use niche influencers, and if you can use a macroinfluencer related to the sector.

Q: And finally, what advice would you give to someone who is thinking about or wants to start a project or create a company? 

In the first place, in Spain entrepreneurship is complicated, there is not much help or entrepreneurship is facilitated for young people. But, if you really want to do it, trust your project. Mainly, do not be afraid of error or failure, it is normal to make mistakes. In the end, in a business there are many factors and many do not depend directly on you, they are uncontrollable. The really important thing is to surround yourself with positive and active people, who support you in your projects. 

For those interested, you can visit his Instagram accounts, through his personal account (@juanjo_cg) or the company account (@diavlahookah) where he posts content daily. Also through: https://www.diavlahookah.es.