With electronic cigarette sales booming in the United States, Hawaii-based retailer and manufacturer embraces creative advertising approach and celebrity talent to target audience looking for alternative to cigarette smoking
HONOLULU, May 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Electronic cigarette sales have boomed here in the U.S. in recent years and many e-cigarette manufacturers are in a hurry to make an impression with a growing consumer base. In 2012, U.S. sales of e-cigs were between $300M and $500M and are expected to double in 2013 say some analysts. One of the brands making a lot of headway in the industry, VOLCANO Fine Electronic Cigarettes®, based out of Honolulu, Hawaii, debuted a recent television commercial that has been getting a lot of buzz in media circles as a step forward in the industry. The ad features a talking dog and a walking human cigarette that was produced with a notable Pittsburgh-based Production Company.
"I was excited to help create a spot for an emerging product. I already had an awareness of e-cigarette benefits as I witnessed many of my co-workers transition away from traditional cigarettes," said Michael Killen, director of the new VOLCANO e-cigarette commercial and animator of the infamous Taco Bell® talking Chihuahua campaign.
With growing revenue from increased sales, large e-cigarette companies, such as VOLCANO ecigs, are now turning to highly skilled advertising agencies for creative assistance with television commercial production and branding. E-cigarette manufacturers have even been spotted recently enlisting A-list celebrities into their television advertisements, sponsoring major sports racing teams, and even promoting products at large music festivals and sporting events to help position themselves in this new product category.
"In the new VOLCANO ecigs commercial, we wanted to show what the smell of cigarette smoking could do to a relationship. In this case, we pitted a dog against his owner. The owner was dressed in a life-size cigarette costume to visualize a smelly and smoky lifestyle from the dog's point of view. In the commercial, the dog decides that he has had enough with the odor and refuses to show his love and affection until the owner changes his ways," Killen stated.
"We saw this as a great opportunity to introduce an animal into a dramatic situation. My history is working with the Taco Bell Chihuahua and many other talking animal campaigns. We imagined that this idea would appeal to the 20 to 30-something audience – a group that is moving away from cigarette smoking and looking for a hip alternative. We had fun with the characters and the ideas. Working with the people at VOLCANO Fine Electronic Cigarettes was great. They are excited and motivated to use unique ideas in a brand new market," said Killen.
The Honolulu-based e-cigarette company has also used celebrity talent Justin Chon, star of the Twilight series and recent lead actor in the 21 & Over flick, in recent YouTube promotions and sponsored events.
"Creative e-cigarette advertising has been our approach from day one," said Cory Smith, Co-owner of VOLCANO e-cigarettes. "It was a pleasure to work with such a well-established and creative agency for our newest television commercial. The new spot has been very well received by our customers and reflects the product benefits well." VOLCANO e-cigarettes' newest commercial is currently airing on affiliate networks of CBS, ESPN, SPIKE, FX, Comedy Central, and more.
VOLCANO Fine Electronic Cigarettes® is a manufacturer and retailer of electronic cigarettes and vaping accessories that is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii. The company has been in business since August 2009 and in those three years has experienced tremendous growth rates. The company has expanded its base of operations throughout the world in order to keep pace with the exponential growth of the industry and has manufacturing and retail locations throughout the USA, U.K. and Southeast Asia.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VSB-QywZmU&feature=c4-overview&list=UUI1U5WbexKaXqDo1_nhfOcA
Website: http://www.volcanoecigs.com
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Scott Rasak
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