The Trinidad relauch/repositioning commences

[El Presidente]

They are going to give marketing Trinidad as an uber premium a serious go. 

Will it work? 

 

HABANOS WORLD DAYS COME TO LONDON

 

February 27, 2024 Press Release

 

Hunters & Frankau and Habanos S.A. are delighted to announce that London and the United Kingdom will host a series of Habanos events over the course of three days on the 20^th, 21^st and 22^nd June 2024. 

Each day will have a distinct theme, but all will be in honor of the Trinidad brand’s 55^th anniversary and will provide a unique opportunity for passionados from across the world with to get together and celebrate the world of Habanos. The three days will conclude with a gala dinner for the World Launch of the Trinidad Cabildo (2024 Limited Edition) and its Trinidad ‘Premier Edition’.

Known collectively as the Habanos World Days, this will be the first time they have been held outside Cuba. 

Tickets will be available in March. 

Cocktail Party – Thursday 20^th June (evening)
Guests will enjoy a classic English garden party with a Cuban twist. Cocktails, Havana cigars, live music and a host of other surprises will be served up, all intended to stimulate the senses, entertain the mind and delight the eye. It will be an evening to celebrate the very best of British and Cuban produce, in the heart of London. 

Seminar & Exhibition – Friday 21^st June (daytime & evening)
A more studious commencement to day two, with keynote speakers and a round table conference that will include leading industry figures from the UK and Cuba. There will also be an exhibition of Trinidad cigars past and present featuring some of the rarest pieces ever produced by the brand. The winner of the UK ‘Trinidad Perfect Pairing’ competition will also present their Trinidad pairing to the audience. 

Later in the day, there will be 55 tasting events held across all parts of the United Kingdom, featuring various Trinidad cigars. This will be a national celebration of the brand and a chance for everyone across the country to join in the fun.

 Gala Dinner – Saturday 22^nd June (evening)

The Habanos World Days draw to a close in typically lavish style with a gala dinner in spectacular and historical surroundings. 

This black tie event will celebrate the launch of the Trinidad Cabildos, and the Trinidad ‘Premier Edition. It will also feature a charity auction as well as one or two surprises for the Habanos passionados lucky enough to secure a ticket. 

 

[SCgarman]

Hasn't this idea already been an epic fail? What's the definition of insanity?🙄

[asudevil08]

Just now, SCgarman said:

What's the definition of insanity?🙄

Cuba

[El Presidente]

1 hour ago, SCgarman said:

Hasn't this idea already been an epic fail? What's the definition of insanity?🙄

I am going to give them some leeway on this one. 

They are going all out for a relaunch/repositioning. They really had to do it. 

Will it work? I doubt it. However if the LE release sells well ( + the Trinidad Robusto Extra), then there is life in the brand that is not there now and life that they can build upon. 

 

 

[Çnote]

11 hours ago, El Presidente said:

I am going to give them some leeway on this one. 

They are going all out for a relaunch/repositioning. They really had to do it. 

Will it work? I doubt it. However if the LE release sells well ( + the Trinidad Robusto Extra), then there is life in the brand that is not there now and life that they can build upon.

Textbook marketing would be to focus Trini into limited editions as much as possible and reduce supply of any regular production to match a reduced anticipated demand.

It would work, but that takes brass and an absolute disregard for the consumer base.

I'm sure HSA is capable. I'm also sure the overall market will respond; it always does.

 

 

 

[ha_banos]

It's going to be so out of my pocket zone this event.

Seen this humidor of triple band Fundadores doing the rounds from the festival. 1000 of them. 135 cigars is it?

I guess the regular Trinidad will just continue to sit on the shelf.

[JohnS]

Habanos S.A. deserve credit for tenacity, sure but someone a long time ago had the common sense to suggest that the idea of Cuaba being a premium brand alongside Cohiba should go by the wayside.

This person should be brought back to give similar advice in regard to Trinidad. Trinidad is not a premium marca in the same way Cohiba is. Stop...Habanos S.A...please stop.

[ha_banos]

One interesting thing is Trinidad regular production usually packed into 12s. There's a gap in their regular premium Cohiba range. The boxes are all 25s! So perhaps they need to get us to buy the 12s as there are plenty sitting about. I mean they are less than half the outlay of regular Cohiba so we have no excuses.

So they super premium the Trinidad brand, not quite as much as Cohiba ofc. And the way they do that is the Fundadores humidor auctions etc. Promote at high profile events around the world.

And Bob's you uncle, I still won't buy any Trinidad!

[Arabian]

21 hours ago, ha_banos said:

It's going to be so out of my pocket zone this event.

Seen this humidor of triple band Fundadores doing the rounds from the festival. 1000 of them. 135 cigars is it?

I guess the regular Trinidad will just continue to sit on the shelf.

Nice premium packaging company.

The printing looks like someone was inspired by Goyard or similar luxury products.

[BrightonCorgi]

17 hours ago, JohnS said:

Habanos S.A. deserve credit for tenacity, sure but someone a long time ago had the common sense to suggest that the idea of Cuaba being a premium brand alongside Cohiba should go by the wayside.

This person should be brought back to give similar advice in regard to Trinidad. Trinidad is not a premium marca in the same way Cohiba is. Stop...Habanos S.A...please stop.

I doubt Trinidad sales would increase much if they were priced the same as Partagas. 

Might as well go super high end. There will be a new generation of Habanos amateurs that won't know/care the backstory on Trinidad.  They only know the super luxe branded it has become.

[Mr. Japan]

I hope my Reyes will go back to a more reasonable price, just above Partags Shorts. I pray for this to happen, but I have the feeling that they will completely stop the production of all vitals that are on the shelves and keep running new ones, coming out at better positioned price.

And yes, let's see if the new LE and the new Robusto extra will be at Trinidad levels.

[Çnote]

15 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

Might as well go super high end.  There will be a new generation of Habanos amateurs that won't know/care the backstory on Trinidad.   They only know the super luxe branded it has become.

Exactly.

17 hours ago, JohnS said:

Habanos S.A. deserve credit for tenacity, sure but someone a long time ago had the common sense to suggest that the idea of Cuaba being a premium brand alongside Cohiba should go by the wayside.

This person should be brought back to give similar advice in regard to Trinidad. Trinidad is not a premium marca in the same way Cohiba is. Stop...Habanos rS.A...please stop.

Agreed. Cohiba, Rolex, Ferrari, Louis Vuitton. All worldwide name recognition brands. Where does Trinidad fit in there? It doesn't. 

[Bijan]

Cuaba hit/miss ratio is/was terrible. It couldn't compete with any Marca, except vegueros.

Trinidad is to me the highest hit/miss ratio Marca.

To me more than Cohiba.

But anyways I think Trinidad is somewhere between all the other Marcas and Cohiba.

Time will tell how much higher they can position it.

On 2/28/2024 at 5:02 PM, Çnote said:

It would work, but that takes brass and an absolute disregard for the consumer base.

Absolute disregard for the consumer base. I think HSA can manage that. 🥲

[Fugu]

8 hours ago, JohnS said:

Trinidad is not a premium marca in the same way Cohiba is.

 

2 hours ago, SCgarman said:

Where does Trinidad fit in there? It doesn't.

Yes? But why not? In the end, it’s basically all made-up marketing prose, innit? Cohiba no different than Trinidad. You just need to make folk swallow a certain framing. The leaf certainly isn’t a iota better in ‘Eeeba

[Çnote]

8 hours ago, Fugu said:

Yes? But why not? In the end, it’s basically all made-up marketing prose, innit? Cohiba no different than Trinidad. You just need to make folk swallow a certain framing. The leaf certainly isn’t a iota better in ‘Eeeba

So, this stirred an interesting-to-me thought. Cohiba was essentially the private reserve of Fidel made into a brand. Trinidad was made up whole cloth. All other CC brands are the product of a competitive environment, prerevolution. Is that about correct? I know I'm simplifying some things....

[SCgarman]

8 hours ago, Fugu said:

Yes? But why not? In the end, it’s basically all made-up marketing prose, innit? Cohiba no different than Trinidad. You just need to make folk swallow a certain framing. The leaf certainly isn’t a iota better in ‘Eeeba

Cohiba= brand image (the best, status symbol, extra fermentation, upscale packaging). What was Trinidad? Cigars made exclusively for Fidel's personal enjoyment? He's been gone for several years now.

[AllorNothing]

As someone who only recently really took this hobby seriously (1 year), I think the Trinidad randing will work in the long term because the new gen like myself will see it through. The Fundadores is just as iconic in my eyes as the Esplendidos. Even people who know nothing about cigars, know these two models of cigars. They’re always mentioned in movies just like Punch cigars. Also, it’s a super rich smoke. I’ve only had the Reyes and I have a fresh box of Coloniales coming in tomorrow. Fell in love wit the flavour profile so far. It has left a much better first impression into the Marca than the others. 

I do agree they’d have to slash regular production and push the Fundadores as limited production. I’d keep it as the only vitola tbh.The current vitolas have terrible sizes besides the Coloniales. 4” smoke with a 54 ring gauge is it? No thanks. 

Lastly, most of us are motivated to get what we can’t or is hard to obtain. Part of my cigar journey will be satisfied once I acquire a box of Fundadores, Esplendidos and Lancero, especially in my birth year. 

 

Edt: Actually keep two vitolas. The Fundies as a limited production and insane marketing. Another vitola that the general public can taste the Fundy through at more “affordable” price. If it’s just Fundies, people will forget about Trinidad because no stores will have it. Need stock for ppl to smoke!

[Fugu]

Trini started out as super premium originally, to be positioned on par with Cohiba. And it was. Widely undisputed among connoisseurs. Smoke enough / long enough Cohiba and Trinidad and you’ll know it. People tend to forget or miss that. Long time even an obscure and mystic cigar when it existed just as a single format (mind you, same as Lanceros) that simply bore the name of the brand. They blew it when they moved Trini provincial.... But - nothing is set in stone forever. Tell a new story! (Birkenstock, anyone? 😅)

I can’t help the feeling that a part of our discomfort is due more to us simply not liking the price hikes than that it has anything to do with quality. If you’re honest to yourself the price “repositioning” in Cohiba feels as unjustified as that in Trinidad.

[BrightonCorgi]

I was underwhelmed on the first release of the Fundadores. The blend got better and better. Haven't had a semi-recent one, but would love to try. I prefer the slightly larger ring gauge that was unique to the Fundadores over similar sized cigars. Robusto T was a smashing success. Better than the Robusto Extra. Why they stopped the T has baffled me. 

[KCCubano]

3 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

I was underwhelmed on the first release of the Fundadores. The blend got better and better. Haven't had a semi-recent one, but would love to try. I prefer the slightly larger ring gauge that was unique to the Fundadores over similar sized cigars. Robusto T was a smashing success. Better than the Robusto Extra. Why they stopped the T has baffled me. 

I had OR Robusto T from Czar and they were excellent. Better than my Robusto Extras. 

[potpest]

On 2/28/2024 at 7:18 PM, ha_banos said:

It's going to be so out of my pocket zone this event.
Seen this humidor of triple band Fundadores doing the rounds from the festival. 1000 of them. 135 cigars is it?
I guess the regular Trinidad will just continue to sit on the shelf.

Seen the ad below tonight from Habanos S.A.
Guess we now know what happened to the Fundy anejados. Let's hope these smoke as well as the rest of the programme.

[Sandman]

Fresh delivery of the new Trini Robusto Extra. I smoked one yesterday and while still a little wet I can tell that the profile is very similar to the originals from back in the 2000s. It might be exact, won’t know until these get a few months on them. So far they look promising. 

[ha_banos]

Rumours are that the Saturday Gala night will be £1,200 per ticket.

 

[El Presidente]

4 hours ago, ha_banos said:

Rumours are that the Saturday Gala night will be £1,200 per ticket.

Do you have any doubt it will be sold out? 

[ha_banos]

33 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

Do you have any doubt it will be sold out? 

I expect people will fly in for this too.