
New product innovations help provide a strategic step up in a competitive market.
New products are the core carrier of technological and value innovation in the tobacco industry. Especially in the current fierce competition in the Chinese cigarette market, the value of new products in brand vitality is growing evident. Therefore, every brand aspires to create a successful new product. A review of new cigarette products launched in the Chinese market in the past three months, reveals the latest trends in product innovation and highlights the technological features that resonate with consumers.
New products and innovation highlights launched in the past three months
In July, August, and September, China Tobacco Yunnan launched the new Yuxi (Harmony·Smooth) under its Yuxi brand. China Tobacco Jiangxi launched two additions to its Jinsheng line: Jinsheng (Wisdom Holy·Slim), and Jinsheng (Celadon Slim). Similarly, China Tobacco Anhui expanded its Huangshan brand with Huangshan (Classic Wan·Slim), and Huangshan (Huang Wan). China Tobacco Guangdong also introduced two new offerings: Double Happy (Spring·Free), and Cordyceps Sinensis (Horizon·Slim) under its Double Happy brand. Among these new products, what deserves more attention is Jinsheng (Wisdom Holy·Slim), Yuxi (Harmony·Smooth), and Double Happy (Spring·Free).
The selling points of Yuxi (Harmony Smooth) lie in stick specification, the use of new cigarette paper, and high comfort level of taste. Firstly, the stick specification is 83mm*22mm, and the cut tobacco content is 10% higher than that of the medium-sized stick. As the temperature sensing technology is skillfully integrated into the design of cigarettes, after the temperature of the lit cigarette rises, the Chinese character for “smooth” appears when smoked to 1/3 stick, and “harmony” appears when smoked to 2/3 stick, which brings unprecedented interest and playfulness to consumers. In terms of taste style, on the basis of tobacco fragrance, it is supplemented by spicy, sour, fruity, and sweet fragrances, while organically integrating external olfactory and internal smoking flavors to balance and harmonize the fruit and tea fragrances, creating a rich aroma layer featuring soft and lingering smoke and high recognition scent and high comfort smoking characteristics.
With the tar content of 6mg and stick specification of 97mm, Jinsheng (Wisdom Holy·Slim) is retailed at RMB1,000/carton. It leverages China Tobacco Jiangxi’s unique fourth-generation Jinshengxiang technology which enhances flavor, reduces harm, and improves overall quality to achieve the perfect combination of low tar and high taste. There is also a capsule design, which releases the aroma of agarwood oil and tobacco when crushed. Its product features deserve attention from the high-end market.
The tar content of Double Happy (Spring·Free) is 9mg, and the retail price is RMB300/carton. This product uses China Tobacco Guangdong’s exclusive “thermal reaction” and cutting-edge “supercritical” dual extraction technology, extracting exocarpium [exocarpium citri grandis (ECG), a classic Chinese remedy for cough and phlegm relief, trusted for centuries] essence to bring consumers a refreshing and smooth taste. Meanwhile, the double-effect condensed cigarette paper used in this product can also retain the exocarpium essence more durably and stably.
Common features of innovation points of new products
1. The tastes are all distinctively Chinese, such as the use of tea, orange, and some traditional Chinese medicine extracts in the blend of most new products.
Yuxi (Harmony·Smooth) embodies the balance and harmony of tobacco, fruit, and tea fragrances; Double Happy (Spring·Free) is rich in exocarpium essence; Cordyceps Sinensis (Horizon·Slim) fully embodies the regional characteristics of its origin in Inner Mongolia, presenting a sweet and fragrant taste, as well as a delicate and smooth texture. The characteristics of Jinsheng (Wisdom Holy·Slim) are more distinctive. Established in 1994, Jinsheng leads the industry with its own Jinshengxiang technology that is scientifically formulated, purified, and added natural herbal extracts, which is currently the earliest, longest-lasting, most maturely applied, and most prominent technology among domestic tobacco companies under CNTC.
2. The product culture is also featured by strong Chinese traditional culture.
The outer packaging of Yuxi (Harmony Smooth) inherits the classic color palette of this brand’s fragrance series with a polka dot design, a combination of watermark and diamond shapes, and an embedded radial concentric circle aperture. The two Chinese characters for harmony and smooth are cleverly integrated into the design, with “harmony” on the front and “smooth” on the back. With the cultural core of “ A harmonious state of mind leads to success in all endeavors”, it complements the water culture advocated by the brand.
In June, China Tobacco Henan launched a new product, Golden Leaf (Auspicious·Slim), which shares a similar cultural heritage with Yuxi (Harmony·Smooth). The “Jing” hexagram from the Book of Changes is printed inside the cigarette box: it is highly successful. The characters “大成” (Auspicious) on the cigarette box are written in seal script, revealing a profound cultural heritage.
For Chinese people, “free” is not only a state of life, but also a spiritual realm. Double Happy (Spring·Free) pioneered the design of a blind box-style filter rod, with 18 different filter tips printed with different auspicious sayings. These uniquely Chinese auspicious sayings present different states of freedom in life, providing consumers with a unique emotional value.
3. Brands and enterprises have basically formed their own unique technological innovation directions.
The unique advantages of a brand extend beyond specific technologies, like the proprietary “Jinshengxiang” system of the Jinsheng brand, but also includes a style or even a vocabulary that allows one to recognize the product of a brand at a glance or upon first hearing of it. For example, the Double Happy brand, which adheres to the concept of “philosophy of taste” in tobacco production, has successfully made “taste” its unique IP in its new product launches and brand marketing in recent years. In the Chinese language, “taste” is not only a feeling on the taste buds, but also includes infinite love and awe for nature and life.
Similarly, the brand Mount Huangshan has innovatively developed a unique product formula of “burnt-sweet aroma, moisturizing with dendrobium [orchids prized in traditional medicine for their tonic, astringent, analgesic, antipyretic, and anti-inflammatory properties.]” By highlighting the “sweet” taste of tobacco leaves from Southern Anhui province and the “moisturizing” sensation of dendrobium from Huoshan county, the “sweet and moisturizing Anhui tobacco” is condensed into the brand’s marketing and quickly became popular throughout the country. The term “sweet and moisturizing” has almost become synonymous with the brand Mount Huangshan.
With the diversification of consumption, the current demand of cigarette consumers presents two distinct characteristics. On the one hand, while pursuing unique sensory experiences, they are increasingly concerned about the impact on health, and desire to meet their needs for tobacco while reducing the impact on their bodies. On the other hand, consumers also expect the emergence of more innovative, fashionable, and emotionally-fitting products, hoping that cigarettes can meet their psychological needs for quality of life and individual expression. These demands are clearly reflected in the new products launched in the past three months. The product culture suitable for brand development from deep traditional Chinese values is no longer limited to superficial writing skills, but is presented through new technological means, such as the temperature-sensing technology used by Yuxi (Harmony·Smooth) that allows the corresponding Chinese characters to gradually appear after the cigarette is lit. This is an embodiment of the emotional value of the product and a modern expression of the social function of cigarette products.