Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/680166
tobaccoasia 33 Guiyan (National Liquor Flavor) of China Tobacco Guizhou Industrial Co., Ltd. universally well received by consumers. After such flavors are used in slim cigarettes without any in- consistency, tobacco manufacturers will be able to swiftly offer the market fresh products with new types of aromas, including such exotic flavors as jasmine and blueberry. Yet, among the new types of developed aro- mas, the one that is widely favored above oth- ers is the liquor flavor. In particular, after China Tobacco Guizhou Industrial developed and pre- sented the Guiyan (National Liquor Flavor) brand cigarettes to great acclaim in 2012, many other to- bacco manufacturers saw great business opportu- nities in developing liquor-flavored cigarette prod- ucts. In China, there has long been a psychological connection that "tobacco and liquor are never far from each other". So, some tobacco manufactur- ers have launched head first into developing new products with foreign liquor flavors like Cham- pagne and others. Another new type of flavor, which has swiftly become a favorite is the "tea aroma". In com- parison with liquor flavor, tea aroma has an even stronger potential, as it is more natural to com- bine tea aroma with liquor flavor. A few years ago, some tobacco manufacturers applied the concept of tea aroma in the blending formula for their ciga- rette brands. But due to their failure to make the aroma of tea clearly stand out and their lack of r&d persistence, the emergence of tea as an aroma in cigarettes at the time was very brief. Today, with new technology and media, the introduction of tea aroma in cigarette production will probably have a bright future. The diversity of aromas, to a great extent, re- flects the determination and aspiration of tobac- co manufacturers to pursue innovation and seek change. It also indirectly reflects the strengthening of the existing market patterns. Under such cir- cumstances, it is impossible for traditional markets and traditional styles to expect significant break- throughs. Therefore, use of new types of aromas as the most direct and most valid approach to em- body innovation and win favor from consumers undoubtedly means yet another possibility. Design Customization In 2015, CTSI introduced the Kuanzhai series of cigarette products of its Pride brand family, which surprised everyone. The Kuanzhai serial products offer quite a few bold designs in terms of the form, style, relevance, etc. The development was an in- novation based on comprehensive integration of strong points from other products, with the pat- tern of packets, the type of aroma, the form of fil- ter tips and the product concept all different from those of others. Within the context of following the general trend in cigarette production, Kuan- zhai, given its excellent designs and high popular- ity, is indeed highly attractive to consumers and can easily generate consumer interest. In the future, such integrative innovation, rep- resented by Kuanzhai, will become the new chan- nel and orientation for innovation and will focus on design customization. Customization will, in turn, be manifested in many aspects, such as pack- ets, the type of aroma, the shape of filter tips, the form of cigarettes, where styles and concept can all undergo a great deal of innovation. First of all, there are new developments of special-shaped packaging. Besides traditional and conventional soft and hard packets, designs of special-shaped packaging, including hand-made packaging, are becoming a distinguishing charac- teristic for newly developed cigarette brands. Secondly, the shapes of filter tips have become more diversified. Besides continuing to promote the reduction of the tar content and other harm- ful substances, every tobacco manufacturer with- out exception is making great efforts to improve the designs of their products, in hopes of offering consumers a pleasant surprise when opening the packet and "lifting the veil" over its contents. And finally, conceptual designs have become more vivid and three-dimensional. China Tobacco Hunan Industrial distinguished itself with fantastic designs of its new member of the Baisha (Progress Every Day) brand family, and gave a lot of thought to consumer demand that controlled the tone of this new product, preventing it from giving the impression of loftiness that other products of the same brand used to have. Such innovations of conceptual design have enabled products to have more distinctive characteristics.