Advertising cigars

In the second half of the twentieth century, the cigar has become a quality item par excellence. The old-fashioned bolknak and senoritas make way for the wild Havana with floss and for those who really want to impress, an Havana or at least a Cuban. We can clearly see this shift in cigar advertisements. Countless advertisements convey the atmosphere of ultimate enjoyment in warm tobacco tones.

If you study this colourful series of cigar advertisements, you will see that relaxation in luxury is promoted from the west or from the east. Whether it is Dominican origin or the leaves from the Javanese Sultanate lands hardly seem to make a difference in terms of marketing, as long as it comes across as exotic. With smiling mouths touching a cigar or skilful hands depicting the noble craft, the reader of the magazine is drawn into the right mood. It is striking that these advertisements do not include the prices of the product, apparently ultimate enjoyment is priceless.

While in the 1970s and 1980s the brown of the tobacco leaf resounds in the advertisements, in the 1990s and later the colours become brighter and bordered by fresh hues. Gradually, an atmosphere of light macho comes through, some brands even try to make cigar smoking sexy with voluptuous ladies.