Hej creates brand identity for the world's first tobacco hemp cigarette
The Eastern Swiss tobacco manufacturer Koch & Gsell has pulled off a veritable coup with the launch of the «Heimat Tabak & Hanf» cigarette. The announcement that the world’s first cigarette containing CBD hemp will be available throughout Switzerland starting in mid-July—including at Coop—generated significant media coverage both nationally and internationally last week.
Hej has been supporting the start-up Koch & Gsell in strategy, communication and design since 2016. At that time, the independent tobacco manufacturers from Lake Constance had already launched two varieties made from pure Swiss tobacco: idiosyncratic natural products with character, made from pure Swiss tobacco and free of additives. Hej first revised the packaging with the aim of reaching an urban audience with the brand in the future. The logo and name were retained, while all other design elements and communicative interfaces were redeveloped.
"The challenge was to meet the demand for a bold and serious product with a dash of irony and charm. The brand identity also had to stand out clearly from the look of the big foreign brands, and the packaging had to hold its own both in the colorful display of a kiosk and in the dim light of a bar," says Helm Pfohl, design director and co-owner of Hej.
During the development phase, which lasted almost a year, special attention was paid to the color world of the packaging: in multi-stage processes and print tests, a solution was developed in close cooperation with the producer that ensures the high luminosity even on uncoated paper. For the haptic experience, the packaging was also finished with sand varnish and high embossing. The attention to detail of Heimat tobacco products is also expressed in the printed cigarette filters: in the spirit of a seal of quality, an icon developed by Hej is used on each Heimat cigarette, playfully reinforcing the USP "100 percent Swiss tobacco".
Björn Koch, Head of Marketing at Koch & Gsell, praises the collaboration with the Zurich-based design agency: "Hej was an important partner for us from the very beginning in adequately conveying the values of our brand visually. Hej managed to give Heimat an unmistakable profile. It was important to me that we not simply jump on a design trend, but create something independent. Hej succeeded in this."
In addition to the new brand identity, Koch & Gsell also invested in marketing. Hej revised the website and social media channels, launched the digital newsletter and developed a mobile exhibition stand. In addition, dispensers for retail and gastronomy, various advertisements, postcards and the shipping packaging for bulk buyers were created.
The sales launch was accompanied by a large media response last week, including reports by 20min, Blick, Blick am Abend, Bild, Tages-Anzeiger, NZZ am Sonntag and Handelszeitung.
Responsible at Heimat: Roger Koch (Founder and Managing Director), Björn Koch (Head of Marke-ting). Responsible at Hej: Janine Widler (Strategy), Helm Pfohl (Creative Director), Nina Marti (Consulting), Selina Theiler (Design), Sarah von Rickenbach (Illustration). Photography: Claudia Link. Printing: Model.
