For decades, promotional cigars and cigar accessories (including cigar cutters and cigar matches) have been a powerful marketing tool, especially for rewarding VIP customers and building customer loyalty. Matches, matchboxes, and match

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books designed for cigar smokers can be designed down to the last detail – including their shape, color, logo, and message. This high degree of personalization means that there are several different ways the marketing magic of personalized cigar matches can happen.

Business gifts

First and most importantly, cigars have the type of upscale cachet that cigarettes do not. Each cigar comes with a unique story. As a result, they are often packaged in special boxes that can then be sent to VIP customers and clients as a refined, upscale business gift. It is a gift that will be both treasured and remembered.

Adding in personalized cigar matches as part of the gift is the final touch. It is a way to evoke the feeling of a gift that is both classic and premium.  At any time of the year – whether it’s a year-end holiday gift or a gift presented in the middle of the year for a specific accomplishment, personalized cigar matches make for a refined business gift.

Brand awareness

Far too many people underestimate the power of customized cigars and cigar matches to build overall brand awareness with new demographic groups. There is no longer one age group or one demographic group that smokes cigars. The statistics about cigar smoking in the United States would seem to suggest that cigars are part of an interesting new trend that cuts across all demographics.

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Between 2000 and 2013, for example, the sale of cigars increased from six billion to 13 billion, a phenomenal increase of 114%. Current estimates now suggest that there are 17.4 million cigar smokers in the United States or about 7.3% of all adults. At a time when cigarette smoking is on the decline, cigar smoking is actually on the rise. Thus, you can think about cigars as a powerful way to build brand awareness amongst a new group of potential customers and prospects, while tapping into a powerful new trend.

Brand stories

Here is where the marketing magic of personalized cigar matches really happens. In today’s marketing world, all brands are essential “storytellers” – young millennials, as well as older Baby Boomers — want to know how a brand originated, who the founders are, and what the brand “stands for.” Those are all details that can be subtly but effectively conveyed with cigars and cigar matches. A simple detail – like including the date your business was founded – can be the starting point for telling your brand’s story. A unique logo can reinforce that story. And a simple message or tagline can illustrate your brand’s unique values.

Cigars

Cigars have always had a unique allure in American history and pop culture. In Hollywood movies, cigars are the mark of a successful businessman or dealmaker. They are also the perfect way to cap off an important event like a wedding or new birth, and the symbol of sophistication, class and upscale luxury. So you can immediately see why personalized cigar matches can be so “magical.” They come with a powerful built-in story and narrative that your business or brand can use with tremendous success. Whether it’s rewarding long-time VIP clients or making a good first impression with new ones, personalized cigar matches offer a compelling value proposition for business owners.