Marketing, Cigarettes, & Watches

What do Pokemon and watches have in common besides being collected by certain types of people? The very notion of collecting commercial goods has a distinct link to tobacco. That made me think of a particular watch with the same history. The Heuer Autavia. A pioneer watch which hid it’s automatic winding rotor underneath its chronograph module (weird). It was a proof-of-concept in mechanical watches. You could in fact make an automatic chronograph, and it could be robust enough to wear sportingly. A good candidate for a cigarette promotion.

The cigarette industry is referenced in many university marketing course, which makes a lot of sense since it is the industry responsible for many firsts in advertising. Some of the strategies implemented by the tobacco industry have since been borrowed by companies in basically every other sector. It has also yielded some great collectibles (and the concept of collectibles). It is my belief that where all these things come together presents an interesting historical and ethical question.

This article does not seek to make any judgement about the use of cigarettes by consumers, just to illustrate the fascinating connection of the tobacco industry with other industries, and the very hobby that some might say is more addicting than smoking. I certainly am not changing anything in my life after finding out these facts.

Tobacco advertising in America first appeared in 1789, when the Lorillard brothers advertised their snuff and tobacco products in a local New York daily paper. Up until the mid 1800’s tobacco production was by hand and that limited the penetration of tobacco products. At this point, brands were also not terribly relevant to users. The Civil War ended up generating more demand for tobacco in general. This meant machines were needed.

Buchanan Duke is the man responsible (or one of them) for how cigarettes became such a product. He developed cigarette rolling machines with a man named Bonsack that actually outpaced demand. This forced Duke, in 1889, to spend almost $60m in todays dollars on advertising alone. According to an article by Don Jaide “Duke sponsored races, gave his cigarettes out for free at beauty contests and placed ads in the new “glossies” – the first magazines. He also recognised that the inclusion of collectable cigarette cards was as important as getting the product right.”

Those cards sound familiar? The concept of collectibles in relation to tobacco products originated with Duke. Other cigarette manufacturers began to include collectible items, like Duke’s cards, in their packaging as a way to increase sales and brand loyalty. These collectible items, which often featured popular subjects such as civil war generals, scantily clad women, and sports stars. Later, movie stars, and cartoon characters. Collecting these cards became a hobby.

As the popularity of collectibles grew, so did the variety of items offered. Some companies began to release special edition or limited-run packaging, which further increased their value to collectors. This led to the creation of a secondary market for these items, with people buying and selling them for profit.

This concept of collectibles is related to the collectibility of watches, in that both are sometimes considered (or rationalized as) investments and can gain value over time. Watches, like tobacco collectibles, can be highly sought-after by collectors for their rarity, historical significance, or cultural relevance. Similar to tobacco collectibles, watches can also gain value through limited-edition or special releases, or through association with a particular brand, event, or person.

The Heuer Autavia Viceroy watch, for example, has gained value over time as a collectible timepiece due to its association with the Viceroy cigarette brand, which has a strong historical connection with car racing, and the watch's design and functionality that was intended for car racing drivers.

Yep. Baseball, Pokemon, and Amex. Kinder Eggs and cars. I don’t think it is too much of a stretch to connect those things and the gratification they bring to that of watch collecting.

According to Livia Gherson, “Smoking boomed in the first half of the twentieth century, thanks to heavy advertising and the inclusion of cigarettes as part of soldiers’ rations during the two world wars. Cigarette consumption grew from 54 for each adult in the country in 1900 to a peak of 4,345 in 1963”. The advertising strategies which were responsible for this boom have migrated to industries like toys, candy, fashion, just about anything dealing with an end user.

Heuer Autavia “Viceroy”

Cigarette companies began to heavily advertise their products, often using slogans and imagery that suggested smoking was fashionable and sophisticated. One of the most famous examples of this is the "Marlboro Man" campaign, which featured rugged, masculine cowboys and ran for several decades.

In addition to these targeted advertisements, tobacco companies also sponsored a variety of events and products, such as the "Viceroy Cup" race, which was sponsored by the Viceroy cigarette brand. This sponsorship was so successful that the Viceroy brand became associated with the world of car racing and helped to further promote the image of smoking as exciting and adventurous.In the 1970s, Heuer released a special version of the Autavia known as the "Viceroy", which was named after and heavily promoted by the Viceroy cigarette brand. The Viceroy Autavia featured the Viceroy color palette and was marketed as the perfect watch for the stylish, adventurous smoker.

An advertisement for the Viceroy Autavia

However, as public opinion on tobacco began to shift in the later 20th century, the relationship between advertising, tobacco, and car racing began to change. Health concerns and regulations led to a decline in smoking rates and a corresponding decline in tobacco advertising. As a result, the Heuer company distanced themselves from the association with tobacco. Additionally, the Viceroy Autavia was only offered for a few months in 1972 when you could mail in $88 and a Viceroy carton flap to “Parnelli Jones” at Viceroy in Kentucky and receive your own Viceroy Autavia. This has resulted in relatively few of these watches being available at any given moment and an interesting story.

Today, cigarettes might not be as popular as they once were but the cultural impact remains significant.