Dutch cigar company Royal Agio Cigars has introduced a new look for its Panter brand, unveiled at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes last month.
Founded in 1935, Panter was bought by Agio in 1983 from then-owner Douwe Egberts. Since then the brand has seen +383% growth over a 27-year period to become a top 10 player worldwide and one of the market leaders in the segment of smaller cigarillos.
To adapt to evolving consumer tastes and tobacco laws, Panter decided to do a critical review of its offer – its objective: clearer brand communication on its packaging, a more contemporary logo that remains true to its character and stronger on-shelf presence.
To this aim the company has updated the Panter image on the tin packs with more details and a bold and legible logo. The case will be permanently gold-coloured, with each sku in a different colour for product recognition.
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The rebranding of Panter includes an advertising campaign that depicts the friendship between a panther and its human master against the urban backdrop of New York City |
According to Agio, Panter represents “an easy-to-smoke, accessible and compact cigarillo for a relatively young target group”. Uncompromising and modern – these qualities are said to constitute the foundation of “˜Good Company’, the brand story at the heart of Panter’s communication.
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Agio’s Balmoral Dominican Selection Collection 12 Giftbox won a Gold award at the 2012 Frontier Awards Buyers’ Forum |
“˜Good Company’ tells the story of a deep friendship between a panther and its human master, which is depicted against the urban backdrop of New York City in the new advertising campaign. These humourous images were designed to show the contrast between the panther and the vibrant life in a metropolitan environment, the company said.
Speaking to The Moodie Report at the TFWA World Exhibition last month, Royal Agio Cigars Export Manager Gertrude Stormink said that response to Panter’s new look so far has been good.
The rebranding campaign is effective in both domestic and travel retail channels, even though the brand does carry travel exclusive packs. For example, the Agio Tip Sweet, a travel retail exclusive box of 50 cigarillos with a vanilla-flavoured tip, garnered a positive reaction at the Cannes show, according to Stormink.
Stormink is hoping that the iconic New York City imagery will resonate with buyers and visitors at the IAADFS Duty Free Show of the Americas, where Agio is exhibiting next year. Besides the TFWA Cannes show, the company also exhibits at the TFWA Asia Pacific show in Singapore.
The Cannes show also saw the launch of a new product from Agio’s Balmoral brand – the Balmoral Dominican Selection 5 Short Corona. Balmoral Dominican Selection comprises machine-made shortfiller cigars, created in the brand’s own establishment in San Pedri de Macoris in The Dominican Republic.
The range received approval at the 2012 Frontier Awards Buyers’ Forum, where the Balmoral Dominican Selection Collection 12 Giftbox won a Gold award. This travel retail exclusive contains the Small Panatela, Panatela and Corona cigars, all blended from selected tobaccos from the Caribbean. Finished with a photo sleeve illustrating the contents, the box also includes a Dominican Olor binder and an Ecuador shade wrapper.
About Royal Agio Cigars
Founded in 1904, Royal Agio Cigars is still a family business and has grown to become one of the leading cigar manufacturers in Europe, offering brands such as Mehari’s, Panter, Balmoral and De Huifkar.
Every year, about 750 million cigars are produced and sold, primarily through the company’s own sales organisations in western and southern Europe. Agio also exports to over 100 countries worldwide and employs over 2000 people.
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