Curious.....

[SmokeMyDog]

Good Morning Gents,

What are your thoughts on all these new "marketing" styles coming out? For example, Viaje's array of "Bombs" and "Explosive" cigars.
I feel like some of these companies are just trying to appeal to mans' attraction to "manly" things, instead of focusing on pure quality and quantity.
I guess Im just a little "Joe Paterno" when it comes to stuff like this. (Uniforms should be solid Blue and White, with white helmets) Get rid of the gimmicks and play the game!
But then again, how can you fault them when the approach is garnering a lot of attention. They DO have a business to run.
What got my attention yesterday, was the new Romm 101 release that is coming in December.....O.S.O.K "One Shot One Kill" (with the picture of yet another skeleton on it)

Any thoughts?
Or am I getting old?

Terry

 

[sonarman]

I don't think you are getting old, a cigar should sell itself. You can just see thru the BS:stretchgr

 

[Craig Mac]

Marketing is a part of it. But you are also talking about boutique(ish) companies as well. You won't see the "big dogs"(Altadis, General, Rocky) really doing that. I think it's part of the smaller companies way of standing out a bit. When you meet guys like Matt Booth, you understand he isn't the type of guy who is going to name his lines things like "Classic", "Vintage", "White", "Corojo" or whatever the case may be. Personally, it doesn't matter to me what they call it as long as the cigars are good.

 

[bdc30]

I feel like some of these companies are just trying to appeal to mans' attraction to "manly" things, instead of focusing on pure quality and quantity.

Look no further than the hysteria over the Tat Monster series every single time it happens. It's no wonder companies are trying to latch on to that angle.

Fortunately for me, I don't chase cigars. I smoke what I enjoy, what I can easily get my hands on, and what some kindly BOTL's with connections are able to procure for me. Beyond that, you won't catch me calling shop to shop begging to be put on a list.

 

[JimmyC]

Gimmicks aimed at the younger crowd. Hey if it works and sells product then more power to em. I prefer quality and taste.... over cool or shock labels.

 

[Craig Mac]

So... Are terms like "Classic" and "Vintage" a marketing ploy for the older crowd? LoL

 

[SmokeMyDog]

So... Are terms like "Classic" and "Vintage" a marketing ploy for the older crowd? LoL

Haha....never looked at it that way!

 

[JDog]

Personally, it doesn't matter to me what they call it as long as the cigars are good.

+1.

Example, when the NHC Surrogates came out with names like Bone Crusher and Skull Breaker, I ordered a sampler, smoked them, didn't particularly like them enough to consider them a box purchase and will not likely order more.

I'm like that with everything that I smoke... I don't care about the marketing. I just want a good or unique smoke.

 

[Alwayslit]

Personally, it doesn't matter to me what they call it as long as the cigars are good.

^^^this^^^

 

[Stogiecidal]

I'm a sucker for gimmicks and marketing truth be told.
New gadget...gotta have
New technology in a sports product that will help me elevate my game and give me the edge...gotta have it
Great graphic design on a cigar band(s)...gotta have it

Fortunately enough for me I've been pretty lucky with getting great smokes through good marketing but it only accounts for 30% of my buying strategy. The othe 70% is built on reviews, past quality and if I happened to have connected with an awesome brother that has a line on something that they are willing to help me out with.

Like Clay-Roc said...not a chaser I smoke what I like but if an opportunity presents itself I'll jump on it...

I am probably wrong please correct me if so but you just don't see the same thing with CC's...I find the so-called hype is driven by the community and the cigars simply sell themselves.

 

[bugbear]

I would rather have consistency and less hype but more info on the blend. In this stage of the game I know what I like so an adequate description of the blend would be more useful. That said, would you buy the new cigar wrapped in plastic or ribbon? Presentation does add something.

 

[GoingPostal]

Personally, it doesn't matter to me what they call it as long as the cigars are good.

+2
Marketing and advertising are a neccessary part of the buisness. As any other buisness Cigar makers target a demographic and advertise to it. would an opus x taste any different if it came in a ordinary paper style box, No but the wood box with felt lining does appeal to the higher end cigar smoker which the opus is aimed for.

 

[PLUSH]

JUST MAKE GREAT CIGARS. Call them what the hell ever you want. :scratchhe




Get it! :thumbsup:

 

[Skitalets]

I'm definitely affected by marketing, though not the "explosive" Spike TV style stuff the OP mentions.

For me, the classy Cuban-style touches are part of why I smoke so many Pete Johnson cigars. He doesn't try to copy them slavishly like certain lines (say, Siglo), but rather makes cigars that are an homage. The wooden boxes, narrow bands, triple caps and pigtails, they all make me enjoy the cigars more.

 

[nubchin]

As long as the tobacco used are indeed 100% natural without additives and without coloring the wrappers with a good blend and properly aged , I dont care what they call em .
George Bushy marketings dont appeal on non-US smokers IMO. :smokingme
Illuminati Cigars,,,, thats too much .

 

[Okcsmoker]

I try not to fall in to the whole marketing thing, but sometimes it gets you and sometimes it doesnt. However, I do not care what the cigar is called or what the packaging looks like, if it is a Pepin or Jaime product, I will smoke it at least once.

 

[BrooksW]

With so many cigars being released, it is turning into a viscous cycle, where cigar manufactures MUST go a little over the top in their advertising in order to even stand a chance to get noticed. But then the last Over the top thing they did has to be topped, and so they go even more over the top, etc...

Do you think a cigar like the Zulu Zulu would even get noticed if it did not have a photo of a boy with a machine gun on the box?

 

[keinreis]

I do not get caught up in the marketing, but I do still believe some of the Limited releases are outstanding cigars for the and understand the "Limited" part since there is a only select amount of that leaf available, and there for must limit the amount they produce.

 

[ciggy]

Marketing is a part of it. But you are also talking about boutique(ish) companies as well. You won't see the "big dogs"(Altadis, General, Rocky) really doing that. I think it's part of the smaller companies way of standing out a bit. When you meet guys like Matt Booth, you understand he isn't the type of guy who is going to name his lines things like "Classic", "Vintage", "White", "Corojo" or whatever the case may be. Personally, it doesn't matter to me what they call it as long as the cigars are good.

+1.

Example, when the NHC Surrogates came out with names like Bone Crusher and Skull Breaker, I ordered a sampler, smoked them, didn't particularly like them enough to consider them a box purchase and will not likely order more.

I'm like that with everything that I smoke... I don't care about the marketing. I just want a good or unique smoke.

Agree with these statements 110%
The question a cigar manufacturere has to ask themselves is this...
Is my name worth putting out a crapy cigar ploy?
I don't think you'll see guys like DPG, Pete, Jamie G, or guys of the like ruining there names over a few extra bucks.

 

[neoflex]

It's Marketing 101. The Boutiques which tend to be the younger generation of the industry are using different ways to stand out from the crowd and the sea of smokes inside of a B&Ms walk-in to get your cigar dollars. Yes, there is a lot of hype with some of these smokes and some turn out to be turds while others live up to the hype and create a cult following. No way to avoid it but Pete has a cult following and I will admit that I am a Tatuaje Ho myself. The older brands don't tend to use this new form of marketing much as they already have a good market share but the new guys that come in will sometimes create a buzz about their brand or new line or limited release with these new forms of marketing. As long as the brand/blends live up to the hype than who cares how they are marketing it. It clearly works otherwise guys would have abandoned it and went back to the old fashioned way of doing things. I myself love the limited release aspect as it breaks up the monotony and sometimes the hunt is just as fun as sitting back enjoying a great cigar. If the sticks with all the hype around them fail to please the crowds too often it can quickly work in reverse for some of the brands too now in the day and age of internet forums and Facebook. It's a dicey game to make yourself stand out from the crowd.