I agree, seems the marketing concept is placed on the brand not the quality. Perhaps the quality is there but Cig seems to thing the brand name and logo can increase their sales through marketing this brand recognition/logo. This is a smart thing to do as long as the quality is there. If it is not, the new customers they get will not return. Thats is not their goal...obviously.
Its a smart concept. To compare...sea ray touts a lifestyle as well as their quality. They are undeniably the most recognized name in boating....not just because they make boats in ALL price ranges.
.02
cig will be fine if the quality is there

The guy bought the Company anyone else have problems with the way he runs it, I'm sure he would look at any legitimate offers any one can muster up(the old money where your mouth his)... Outside of this Monday morning quarterbacking is worth the price paid for that advice. He owns it and *****n about what he does with it is a waist of time with no productive consequence.

I own my business but I do listen to what the customers have to say. Wether I agree or not is up to me. I say go ahead and tell me how to run my business it might just make the business better for it.

Many of the items on the list of what's "It", are not exactly the Timexes of their fields. Ferrari's won't go 20,000 miles without a breakdown if you don't spend 4 or 5 thousand dollars a year to keep them up. Many Rolexes don't keep that good a time. Harley's used to leak oil like crazy. Walther PPK's jam. It is not necessary to be perfect to be "It".

As regards the brand identity, I used to smuggle Cigarette and Magnum jackets into Italy. You could trade either one for ANYTHING you want. You can spend anything you want, win every race, (look at Cougar and Skater), wear gold chains and say that you are the greatest, but you ain't ever gonna be CIGARETTE.

I still say that Skip and Neill are two of the best intentioned owners in the business, but I've only been in it for 52 years.

Racing costs money and is a profit eater...the new Cigs can't compete with all the other boats and their factory support...$kip's in this for the money and has spent big dollars on a new building and the apparel line.
BTW...which is the most ever spent on it since Aronow owned it.
I was shocked to see the marketing strategy of the new Cigarette printed in PB.
They are going into the Poker Run and PaceBoat business ..its much easier to make good there.
Its a shame the legendary name is now up for whore out.
I love Cigarette second to Fountain and hope that which ever way it ends up its a good one for the Brand.:(

As for "the Legend is dying thing"
 

All this theoretical diatribe is one thing but I will relate a few things that have happened since I started using my Cigarette on the lake up here four weeks ago. Now bear in mind it is everyday America not the launch at Havasu, LOTO, South California or Southern Florida;

There are roughly 15 Fountains, 25 Baja's, multiple, Scarabs, Velocities and Sunstation that hang around the Lake at one point or another. There is as far as I know 1 Cigarette, someone told me there was another one but in the 15 years I have been on the lake maybe some have gone thru but none hangs around on a weekly bases.

From boat owners:
When I am at the launch I have had a "Bunch" of people come up to me that own those Fountains, Scarabs, Baja's... and say "Wow a Cigarette we don't see many of those", or "man I wish I could afford one of those" and just stand in awe over there. I am a very approachable fellow and will let anyone who owns a boat have a look at mine within reason and they always walk away with envy in their eyes. Again I am not a prude and will definitely look at other nice rigs but the Cig always get's most of the peoples attention. And my rig is only a 1994 35' Cafe Racer. A lot of them can leave me in the dust on the lake, all those Fountains run faster than my 67 MPH but they are still the ones coming up to me.

From non-boat owners:
We were out on the town last Friday night and "Murph" a friend of hers came up to her and said Tom Powers was in here the other day saying he saw you guys at the ramp by the Park and couldn't stop talking about your boat. "K-lee's boat this" and "K-Lee's boat that" then Murph says something very indicative of the Cig mystic he says "Man, Tom had such a hard on I couldn't figure it out... It's not like it says Cigarette on the side of it!" K-Lee looks at him and says "It does say Cigarette on the side of ours" Then the guy vapor locked wanting a ride and all (which we obliged on Saturday) At least another 5 or 6 acquaintances have come up to me in restaurants and bars with the same kind of "disbelief" look in there eyes from seeing us go by on the lake with an actual "Cigarette" boat.

I had a Fountain for 5 years and it drew people but not the same way the Cigarette does, it seems that the fact of having this kind of exclusivity and the "original" thing stires up people. I did not get the thing for attention I chose it for the ride and space compared to the Fountain's I had been shopping around for, it seemed more receptive to the family boating I do, the other parameters were the money, it was more expensive than a Fountain but you only know how much it costs once you sell it!!! It is definitely slower then the Fountain and they are both just as tough and well built but the "Legend" is different.

Anyway Cig_3 if you think the Legend is dying it's your opinion for me I which my father would of died like that then I could talk to him every day!!!

If I remember correctly the new owner of Cigarette said the boats are great but the "Brand Name Cigarette" is where the money is and that is why he Purchased the Company. He believed with proper marketing he could make a great return on his investment. Lets hope they do make a ton of cash on marketing apparel and accessories, I would think in the end some of the monies would be reinvested into the company and the boats would reap the benefits.


Jan

That's for bloody sure on the investment perspective... in the immortal words of Frank Zappa "dont'cha know ya' can make more money as a butcher?" My hats off to those guys or anyone who is willing to put it on the line like that financially.

Why does Cigarette invoke that kind of response? It's machismo, history, the "sport" of offshoreracing, Aronows death and not to mention the more illicit side...drugs/women the "lure of the easy money" etc, etc rolled up in a reasonably packaged and marketable medium. The average consumer still equates fast boats with "is that a cigarette?" just like a tissue being a Kleenex, a photocopy being a Xerox...

Successful companies change with the times and it appears the marketing is going that way...the winners are the guys that stay in business and remain reasonably profitable.

As much as I like to see Cigarette racing again I have to admit that Skip and Neil are doing a great job. The quality of the boats is at its best EVER right now.

Me too...