Industry News:
Cuban cigar makers aim for women
(01:39) Report
Feb 23 – Cuban cigar makers appeal to women at the annual cigar festival, in an attempt to boost sales hit by the global economic downturn. Tara Cleary reports:
I had a conversation recently with a brother of the leaf regarding an article that had begun circulating about the Cuban cigar industry and their recognition of women cigar smokers. I wrote a brief discussion post at Cigars4Women:
the article goes onto say:
“Cuba wants to develop a largely untapped market for its famous cigars — women.
Habanos S.A. executives said on Monday sales fell 8 percent to $360 million in 2009, so they have created the Julieta, a smaller, milder version of the Romeo y Julieta cigar, aimed specifically at female smokers.”
This naturally concerned me, so I responded to the sender, a well known industry member, with this message:
‘Thanks for the article. So, are we going to let Cuba beat us to the “Punch” or are we going to finally get a cigar out for women? interested…”
he responded:
“Why do women need their own cigar? That would be a good blog subject wouldn’t it?”
I then asked if he had indeed read any material on this blog – I’ve been advocating for women cigar smokers through this blog and social media since 2005 – and how having our own cigar would be a savvy business decision for a cigar manufacturer. Alas, my efforts have fallen on deaf ears.
I stand by my response to the question, “Why do women need their own cigar?”
“have u read my blog? same reason they gave us the vote ~ here’s a better question….
“Why can’t we have our own cigar” u can quote me 
”
~Damsel~
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I like it very much! Just incredible! Your composition manner is pleasing and the way you dealt the topic with grace is notable. I am intrigued, I make bold you are an expert on this topic. I am signing up for your incoming updates from now on.
We have our own shoes, we have our own razors, we have our own cigarettes, too (do we think Virginia Slims are marketed towards men? hmm?) I want a nice, earthy colorado in metallic pink packaging with a fancy band with hearts on it. Or a "Pink 'n Mild", pink plastic tipped cigar with dried rose petals added to the filler!
Hi Kris,
Have a read through Jevex's comment below – he (I'm assuming he's a he) offers the clinical reasoning as to why the cigar manufacturer hasn't taken up the challenge! Will we see a cigar made for women and marketed in the US anytime soon? I would have to agree with Jevex, and say probably not – not by the big guys at least!
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Your post regarding the notion of non-Cuban cigar-makers creating a cigar that is specifically "for women" was an interesting one, assuredly. The question is a valid one, but I think you asked it without examining all of the ramifications.
Back in the early 1900's, at least in the United States, smoking (cigars or cigarettes) was regarded as a males-only activity. There were even places (like New York City) which had laws prohibiting women from smoking – at least, in public. Still (as depicted in early Virginia Slims advertising) a small percentage of women engaged in smoking in private. At the time, the percentage of women who smoked at all was less than 10%.
Cigarette makers knew this, and – around 1920 – one company actively began a marketing campaign aimed at the previously-untapped female market, with a good deal of success. By the 1940's, some 55% of all American women smoked on a regular basis, often in public.
The next targeted campaign came when Virginia Slims was unveiled, followed by Eve and Capri brands. Again, smoking among women saw a major increase.
Unfortunately, when the United States Senate entered into its abhorrent lawsuit against "Big Tobacco", the lawsuit cited precisely these advertising campaigns as attempts by the tobacco industry to get yet another segment of the American people addicted to their products. If you're old enough to have seen any of the lawsuit proceedings (televised on C-SPAN), you'll remember that the federal prosecutors attacked the tobacco company representatives, treating them much as any district attorney would treat a heroin dealer.
The final "settlement" between the Senate and "Big Tobacco" included a whole raft of documents that limited tobacco advertising and marketing, even to the degree of specifying the content of future cigarette advertising – told the manufacturers what they could say, how they could say it, and what sort of "illustrations" were not to be permitted.
Despite the compliance of the tobacco companies, they are still being hauled back in front of the Senate on charges of "marketing tobacco to minors". The reason, says the Senate, is because statistics show that smoking among teens is not decreasing at the rates the Senate had hoped for. In fact, it's increasing. The real reason is simply curiosity among teens. They see their parents smoke, despite the health warnings, and wonder what we see get from the activity that makes us still want to engage in it, health concerns aside. There's also the "pressure" to be accepted among fellow-teens who smoke. Studies have shown this to be true, yet the Senate (hoping for more lawsuit money that they can treat like tax revenues) is adamant that it's all the fault of the tobacco companies.
I think that the cigar-makers have seen all of this, and are reluctant to engage in a marketing campaign that appears to single out a specific target-segment of the overall population. By creating a specific cigar (or line of cigars) especially for women, cigar-makers would appear (to the government) to be once again trying to create a new population of smoking-addicts. You need to remember that the majority of senators and Congressional Representatives are NOT cigar smokers, and so they don't understand the difference between smoking cigarettes on a daily basis and enjoying an occasional cigar.
While it's true that many of the big cigar-labels are headquartered in foreign countries, there ARE some (like CAO, General Cigar, and a few others) whose corporate offices are located in the United States. While foreign cigar-makers cannot be hauled into American courts, domestic-headquartered companies are all too vulnerable. (And, if you look at the way that the federal government has been treating Toyota Motors, lately, even the immunity-from-prosecution of the foreign-based cigar-makers is questionable!)
With the potential legal problems looming in the background, I suspect that the major cigar labels are extremely reluctant to go to the expense of everything that is involved in creating a new cigar, to market as being especially for women. That "label" would preclude the majority of male cigar-lovers from smoking them (how many male cigarette smokers would dare be caught smoking Virginia Slims?) and thus – if the new product does not catch on with women and sell well, they've got a huge backlog of cigars to unload, whose tobacco content could have been used in some of their other, better-selling lines.
Please forgive my lengthy explanation, but I think that this is largely why the big cigar-makers haven't accepted your challenge, as yet.
Thank you very much for taking the time to comment –
I'm familiar with the legislation prohibiting tobacco advertising, and the regulations that the manufacturers must comply to, and the battle between the Senate and "Big Tobacco" – I get that – I also get that it would be a huge risk to develop this market, and the bottom line is that its not favorable, may not be profitable and there is the slight risk of "looming litigation" – I understand the cigar-makers hesitation – but I also understand that just as with any new product offering, marketing trials can be effective in testing the waters.
IMHO, I would also add that maybe, just maybe – creating a cigar for the woman aficionado, the cigar-maker's reluctance might weigh more on the "That "label" would preclude the majority of male cigar-lovers from smoking them…" side?
Having said this – a suggestion might be to create a limited edition – let's say a special cigar for Mother's Day, Valentine's Day – similar to the Fuente's Queen "B" – I'm certain a marketing department can come up with a creative campaign? and legal might be able to work its brilliance to insure the language and activities of this offering would guard against any challenges…
But sir, we fight the big bad prohibitionist, anti-smoking rhetoric spouting groups that attempt to throw our culture into the dregs of the anti-cigarette smoking campaigns right along side our brothers – and I say, on behalf of the women cigar smokers – its time cigar-makers to give us our props! In other words, I hate to say this – with all due respect, step up to the plate, and give us our vote!
and as usual, my four cents on the matter!
I hope you would not mind if I posted a part of this site on my univeristy blog?
Unlike the cig market (with the VS 120's, capri, etc.) I'm not sure the cigar world needs anything different in terms of product for a woman smoker…or potential woman smoker. What needs more emphasis is marketing. I know you can't really do that now except in certain magezines. But if cigar shops and lounges did more advertisment and social activities centered around female or couples cigar smoking events (with a positive and non-threatening theme) for newbie's I think it (it being the cigar industry, the smoke shop, and perspective of female smokers) would take off in a positive or at least acceptable point of view. It is extremely hard to get women to even consider a cigar in many parts of the country because of the over dominance of male focus (other than sex symbol) and smoking bans. If smoke shops and lounges offered female only times (with a "how to" session) and or couples only smoking sections you might get more action, sales, and involvement.