CASE STUDY: Bringing Premium Cigars Closer To Consumers

Project: Scandinavian Tobacco Group Locked-In Humidity Packs Launch

Overview

Scandinavian Tobacco Group had launched a line of premium cigar products that were packaged in a locked-in humidor pack, which allowed a cigar to stay fresh outside of a humidor. This opened up the opportunity for premium cigars to be sold in places that didn’t have a humidor and where they weren’t previously sold, such as convenience stores. Previously, places like convenience stores were know for low-quality, machine-made cigars, not premium cigars.

The Insight

People are spontaneous and would buy more premium cigars if they were more accessible at their moment of desire.

Approach

Proprietary research we had conducted found that many cigar smokers ordered their cigars online, had to drive 20+ minutes to a specialty cigar shop, or had to plan in advance to make sure they had a cigar on them in case they were in the mood to have one. The previous launch of the product focused on the features of the packaging itself. Our approach was to make sure that consumers knew that they can now get great, premium cigars wherever they may be at any time.

Our campaign tied the equity established in the cigar brand themselves while communicating that these great cigars were now available in places that were convenient for consumers – thus “The World’s Most Legendary Cigars Now At The World’s Most Convenient Locations” was born.

We focused on surrounding the consumer when they were in close proximity to the product. Getting as much real estate to advertise in the locations the product was available, helped drive consumers into stores and to seek out the product.

To make it as convenient for people to find the products, we created a cigar finder microsite, www.FindACigar.com where you can find what locations were selling the product.

A microsite FindACigar.com served as a hub to help consumers find a place close to them that sold the products.

Our campaign included a solid mix of Digital (Online Video, Mobile GeoFencing, Premium Site “Takeovers”, Contextual Display, and Retargeting), Print (Golf Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Cigars & Spirits) ,Out of Home and an Influencer campaign – all in an effort to reach consumers at various stages of the marketing funnel.

Knowing that we wanted to inspire trial with other products, we also brought in the idea of what cigars pair best with. Including beer, various spirits, wine, and coffee.

In addition to communicating with consumers, we extended the campaign to the trade in order to help sell in the product. We focused on communicating the benefit to them and the impact it could have on their bottom line.

Trade ads helped sell the product into retailers.

With a bevy of restrictions in advertising tobacco we often had to get creative with where we advertised, unlocking any opportunity available to us. We were able to secure space on ice box chests, coolers, From ice box chests, and even turned a parking bollard into a cigar.

Direct email through a partnership with Urban Daddy, reached an audience that was perfectly aligned with our target.

Results

-an 4% increase in product sales

-18% increase in new accounts opened

-Establishment of a long-term valuable web asset in FindACigar.com