The Portrayal of Premium Cigar Selling Propositions in Lifestyle Magazines: A Content Analysis

INTRODUCTION: Although lifestyle magazines are an important marketing tool for premium cigars, little is known about their recent portrayal of the products. We expand on research conducted for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on Patterns of Use and Health Effects of “Premium Cigars” and Priority Research. AIMS AND METHODS: A content analysis of magazine covers, articles, and advertisements published in 2021 from Cigar Aficionado and Cigar Snob (five issues each) and Cigar Journal (three issues) assessed magazine themes and mentions of lower harm. Magazine covers (n = 14), advertisements (n = 105), and every fifth article (n = 45) were coded. RESULTS: In total, 92% of the magazine covers, 72.4% of advertisements, and 62.2% of articles had premium cigar content. Celebrities (e.g. musicians and actors) appeared on 92.9% of covers. The most common themes in the advertisements and articles were “high quality.” Regarding article content, 80% portrayed the premium cigars’ quality (e.g. superior materials), and the taste of featured products (e.g. “tones,” “aromas,” and “notes”) was portrayed in 42.4%. While no articles described their health risks, 6.7% described the positive health effects of premium cigar use (e.g. stress relief and clear cognition). Additionally, a digital search of Cigar Snob and Cigar Aficionado for terms related to lower harm (e.g. “organic,” “healthy,” “clean,” “pure,” and “natural”) found 7.7 mentions of lower-harm words per issue. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that lifestyle magazines are an important marketing strategy that promotes and normalizes premium cigar use as a high-quality product that can have positive health effects for users. IMPLICATIONS: Our manuscript characterized the premium cigar companies’ use of selling propositions, including promoting the products’ features, safety, taste, and flavors, as a part of their advertising promotion practices. Premium cigar companies used digital and print lifestyle magazines as marketing tools to promote and normalize the use of their products by emphasizing their high quality and positive health benefits (e.g. reducing stress). Premium cigars were promoted as a symbol of power and success, featured in advertisements of upscale social events (e.g. exclusive trade shows, social clubs, and lounges), and often juxtaposed with expensive alcohol, food, and other luxurious goods. Future research should assess if exposure to premium cigar content increases consumer appeal and detracts from the products’ potential adverse health outcomes.