The ad campaign for the new ESSE Black and Silver cigarettes. The ESSE brand is becoming popular in RussiaSOUTH KOREA. South Korean tobacco products company KT&G is preparing to launch its new ESSE Black and Silver cigarettes to travel retailers at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes this October.
ESSE Black and ESSE Silver 84mm super slim cigarettes are “very important” launches for the company, according to Kelly Song, who is responsible for KT&G’s overseas brands as a senior manager in the global headquarters.
The company has just finished developing the cigarettes’ advertisement image (pictured above).
ESSE 84mm slim sets out to offer a distinctive and different image from the ESSE mother brand, which is especially popular among women. ESSE 84mm super slim is equipped with a super-activated filter and targets stylish and modern male/female smokers who are aged in their late 20s to mid 30s.
Besides exhibiting the new range at Cannes, KT&G will host its annual celebration dinner party for global business partners at the Carlton Hotel on the first day of TFWA week. This year’s TFWA World Exhibition will mark the company’s fourth year at the event.
ESSE remains KT&G’s leading and main brand in the international market, having sold approximately 10 billion cigarettes in 2008, and plans are ambitious.
“We would like to expand ESSE’s influence by launching various extended products,” said Song. “In 2009 alone, ESSE King size, slims and 84mm super slims have been launched.”
On KT&G’s global ambitions for the brand, Song said: “KT&G has put its best efforts into developing ESSE as a global brand and it has become the company’s major product over a short period of time. With the momentum of ESSE’s successful history, KT&G will continue to aim to take bigger share of the travel retail market.”
In addition to ESSE, which is becoming a popular brand in Russia, KT&G’s product portfolio also includes PINE, RAISON, ZEST and CIMA.
Strategically, the Asia Pacific market has a “unique importance” to KT&G since it attracts many tourists from all around the world and also has many inbound/outbound Korean tourists, which signals the synergy between the Asia Pacific market and the Korean domestic market, according to Song.
Song added that KT&G’s products had shown significant growth in Dubai International Airport over a short period of time. With the advantage of Dubai airport as a hub, KT&G now wants to extend its business to the duty free market in Europe.
Turning to the global financial crisis, Song said the turmoil “didn’t have much impact on tobacco sales” but distributors (or dealers) from overseas had been exposed to foreign currency risk which had led to KT&G being hit financially as an exporting company.
Song believes that tourist numbers will eventually bounce back and the travel retail industry will restore its strength in terms of sales.
For details, contact Kelly Song, KT&G Corporation, Global Business Headquarters, 17th Floor Kosmo Tower 1002, Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 135-280, South Korea, tel: +822 3404 4825, fax: +822 3404 4819/39/59.
MORE STORIES ON KT&G
KT&G draws on Esse cigarette pack redesign – 10/10/08
KT&G set to light up super-slim cigarette sector – 11/09/07
KT&G aims for global dominance – 06/09/06
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