The morning call., 1893-08-29
CIGARS ARE DULL.
Dealers Hints to Local
Manufacturers.
an Indifference to Judicious
Advertising.

Local cigar manufacturers seem to have
surrendered the city trade 10 Eastern CON-
petitors. and they have also permitted
them to make serious inroads on their out
of-Iown market. The reason for all this
is simple one and would be easily reme-
died. according to the statements of promi-
nent dealers in smokes.
1t rests in the fact that California manu-
facturers of cigars do not boom their
brands, but allow the euterprsng East
erners to place their goods under their
very noses and CAPTURE their customers.
A prominent Kearny-street tobacconist
said Yesterday: "San Francisco cigar
makers have just awakened to the un-
pleasant fact that they are rapidly being
driven out of field that should be theirs
exclusively. Look at those catchy signs,
those little novel attractions, those hun
dred odds and ends. that attract the atten-
ton of the smoking public TO the superior
ity of Eastern-made cigars. There is
where San Francisco manufacturers fall
down. Instead of trying to catch the
trade with 'white-labor' labels and home
production signs they should keep those
merits as side issues and boom their brands
in every conceivable way. They should
make a liberal use of newspaper columns.
dead-walls. programmes. fences, cigar
| stores and every place where a person
would be tempted TO look.
'It's no use to merely say that San
Francisco cigars are as good as the East
ern make; tho fact needs to be emphasized
and impressed upon the minds of smokers.
Keep the fact before them and let the
name of a popular brand confront them
every time they stop and call for a cigar.
| That's the whole secret of the success of
the Eastern makes; they are no better,
and manv are good deal worse, than our
coast goods, but they are persistently Of
fered and people buy them.
II could name half dozen grades of
cigars that have had and still command a
phenomenal sale. tor no other reason than
that they are advertised in every cUnceiva-
bic way. This recent talk about local
manufacturers using better stock is all
rank nonsense. 1t won't materially assist
in the sale OF their OUTPUT.
Il want to make suggestion to our local
manufacturers: In the first place they
| buy lots of good tobacco, and that's one
essential step. Now. let them select sew
eral catchy names and make as many ex-
elusive brands, ranging in price from
straight 10 cents to two bits-no higher.
Let them make up tremendous stocks in
| these lines and then spend a lew Thousand
! dollars in printers ink and the various
other ways of catching the pu blic eye.
This method is certain TO attract motto e
! and create demand, and the person who
adopts the course | have suggested will
! soon find he cannot make cigars fast
enough for his customers, provided he
makes a genuinely good smoke. Larger
and longer and better cigars are all right,
| but they need something more than intrinsic
merit to make then salabe. | don't blame
! the members of the Cigar-makers' Union
! for refusing to make long cigars for the
same price they have been making shor
ones. ! II the manufacturers would switch
on 10 the advertising plan they would fine
an immediate remedy for their grief."
A partial canvass of the field confirmed
the statements made by the talkativ'
dealer. Better smokes are possible an(
there is no reason why the manufacturer
OF San Francisco should not get in and I'll
the want, only remembering that puhli
attention must be called TO the matter i
large sales aud substantial profits are de
| sired in return for the goods.