It’s something this blog has written about for several years now but it’s an area where there is almost always something interesting going on — tobacco marketing. It’s also one of the reasons why Japanese smokers are NEVER short of a lighter.
In December, archetypal female cigarette brand Virginia Slim were running a campaign to reward customers with fashion pouches or ashtrays (Sly, KariAng and, appropriately, Ash Diamonds), following on from a tie-up with Gamble Fish about two years ago.
Now we spot this new Lark Hybrid campaign aimed at men and, since it’s for smokers, their breath. The incentive this time is either a pack of mints or can of coffee courtesy of Mintia and Fire respectively. There’s also a “limited edition” lighter, though we estimate that most people won’t be needing one of those.
The natural association of cigarettes and coffee actually makes for what has become a near-standard giveaway, such as the color-coordinated collaboration back in summer 2009.
Omake (giveaways), also a very common sight in publishing, are a good way to combat falling sales, especially as the local government recently raised taxes and the price of a pack of cigarettes. We’re still waiting to assess the fallout from that increase (at any rate, sales just before the hike were through the roof) but, if smokers do in fact opt to quit, you can bet that the tobacco companies will crank up the marketing innovation to find ways to tempt them back.
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