Have you ever purchased a cigar based only on its name and the attractiveness of the
band? Before you answer, think back to when you were a new cigar smoker, and walked into a tobacco shop’s humidor for the very first time. Unless you remembered a brand name through an advertisement of some sort, or unless you went with a seasoned cigar smoker, you probably didn’t have any idea which cigars you wanted to buy. That’s why the cigars with catchy names or attractive bands most likely grabbed your attention.
Buying Cigars Using the Internet
These days, we have the internet to research what cigars to buy before we go shopping. Selections are made after reading about the smoking experiences of thousands of regular cigar smokers, as well as a small group of “experts”. An attractive band and a clever (but unknown) name on a cigar are not really important anymore. What is important are the reputation of the brand, and the opinions and reviews posted on popular web sites by your fellow cigar aficionados.
Cigars and Marketing History
However, despite the knowledge gained through improvements in technology, I have to confess that I miss some of the cigar marketing techniques utilized by previous generations. For example, cigars had even funnier names, there were cigar store Indians, cigar bands and box labels were genuine lithographic works of art, there were cigar trading cards, and even flashy television commercials, before the laws and standards changed in the United States.
Better Cigar Bands
I really do not collect cigar bands, but I managed to accumulate quite a few in old cigar boxes. I dumped the boxes and went through the pile to pick out the most attractive bands, based solely on appearance, not brand name. I was really disappointed to find that the bands I selected were not really that attractive, and that the bands used by the most popular brands were, in general, the least attractive (cheapest to produce). Maybe that’s why the counterfeit cigar makers have such an easy job these days? Therefore, cigar makers take note, if you want to protect your brand, put on a fancy band.
Name Your Own Brand of Cigars
Just for fun, I’m inviting everyone who has read this article to think of a name for a new brand of cigars, and
post it as a comment to this article (no need to register or sign in). To get things rolling, my entry is "Lastincadora". Should that be pronounced “Last-in-cadora” or “La-stinc-adora”? Anyway, we are now taking a poll to officially determine the best name of those submitted thus far.
So, go ahead and cast your vote right now!
