24 TOBACCO BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER | 22 For many tobacco brands, quality of material remains an important selling point for their products. Packaging, marketing collateral and press releases typically hype the quality of the tobacco used in the product’s blend or how the packaging will preserve the quality of the product containedwithin. That’s all well and good, but in order for a consumer to know whether or not some of those statements regarding quality are true or not, they must try the product. That also means they must purchase the product in order to validate said statements on quality—and that could be a problem. Aneasierway toencourageaconsumer tomakea purchase is to make the product visually attractive by focusing on its packaging and overall branding. Due to regulations, tobacco manufacturers are not able to make or release “new” products that often. That means they and retailers are forced to sell and promote products that have been on the market for years, which offers them the opportunity to establish the brand and build an audience but makes it difficult to appeal to new customers that may be seeking something “new.” That’s when a redesign of a product’s packaging or brand can attract new customers and boost sales of products that have been on the market for some time. More andmoremanufacturers in the premium tobacco space are revising the look of products in their portfolio to bring new attention to established products. Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) has refreshed the look of several of its products this year. One of those brands given a new look was Sancho Panza, a brand the company has described as being “dependable” and “tried.” The company collaborated with Matt Booth to refresh the look and feel of this premium cigar line, making sure the branding respected the history and tradition of the brand while also appealing to today’s cigar smoker. Booth also worked on a new look for STG’s Los Statos Deluxe brand. When speaking on the makeover he created for Los Statos, Booth commented that the new branding was designed to “command the attention of both the traditionalist and pique the interest of the most discerning collectors simultaneously.” Companies from other tobacco categories can also pull in new customers and build brand awareness for heritage products through a branding refresh. In July 2022, the consumer products division of U.S. Tobacco Cooperative (USTC) unveiled a new packaging design for its 1839 cigarette line. The new design updated the look of 1839 to make it more contemporary and cleaner, hoping to make the products stand out on store shelves. The new design made the company’s logo more prominent, used bolder colors and highlighted the brand’s history of being a product of the work of tobacco farmers fromNorth Carolina. The new packaging also solved a problem the product faced in retail: standing out as a viable choice for consumers in retail. “Previous packaging had tobacco leaves on them that were extremely hard to identify unless you had a pack in hand,” says Mark Schueller, director of marketing at USTC. “In fact, the front had two leaf images close to each other, and one was colored to identify the style. Honestly, it sort of looked like ink blots. Also, there was a fair amount of copy on the backside of the pack that occupied too much real estate.” USTC’s rebranding efforts for 1839 helped bring more attention to its product in stores. The refreshed look also helped to visually convey the message that not only was this considered to be a premium product, but it was also a brand with history that would appeal to today’s cigarette smoker seeking a quality product for his or her money. So, how do you implement an effective packaging and rebranding effort? Schueller offers the following three tips to get you started. 1. Look at your brand and determine what sort of image and message you want it to portray. 2. Test designs to see how they look on a fixture. 3. Get feedback from internal teams, such as sales and production, but also from retailers. An effective redesign and rebranding effort won’t happen overnight. It will take time, and while opinions matter, Schueller cautions against letting too many people think they will have the final say. A good rebranding can and should make your product more visible in stores, and although the look may be different from what retailers and consumers know of the brand, it is advised that you keep some historical elements in the new branding to make it somewhat familiar to your customers. TB F STARTUP : MARKET I NG A BRAND REBOOT Photography courtesy of Premier Manufacturing You don’t have to release a new product to boost sales. Learn how refreshing a brand or your packaging can give an established tobacco product new life in retail. Our premiu quality cigarettes, pipe tobacco, cigarette tubes, and roll-your-own tobacco products are all made from the finest U.S. tobacco. ContaCt us to www.gopremier.com/c a customer favorite — now available in enticing NeW PacKaGiNG
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