Think Cuban cigars? Think Suchel Fragrencia

Mentioning Cuba makes many people think of cigars. Cuba found that this cultural image could help them sell cosmetics. 

Twenty years ago, a group of Cuban workers founded a cosmetics company called Suchel Fragrencia. The state-sponsored business venture was formed to develop quality fragrances, cosmetics, and hygiene products and market them domestically and abroad. Prior to Suchel, Cuban cosmetic products did not own any significant reputation.

As Suchel targeted Europe for its first exports, it faced a dilemma: How do we catch the attention of consumers and build a reputation for high quality fragrances? Suchel's answer was a clever marketing strategy - a branding campaign that drew on the reputation of Cuban cigars, as well as the cultural image of Cuba's relaxed elegance and sensuous atmosphere. A Montecristo line of men's cologne takes its name directly from the world famous brand of Cuban Montecristo cigars.

Suchel Fragrencia benefited greatly from creating intangible value in their products. The company continues to expand its market in Europe and elsewhere.

 

This story, and a variety of others, is told on the website of Light Years IP (LYIP), a non-profit organization dedicated to alleviating poverty by assisting developing country producers to gain ownership and use their Intellectual Property (IP) to increase their export income and improve the security of that income. LYIP is pioneering a Poverty Alleviating IP Solutions (PAIPS) approach to help developing world producers identify and own their IP, believing IP offers a business strategy that can help developing countries increase income, improve the security of their income, and alleviate poverty. LYIP assists producers, exporters, and governments in the developing world to analyze their export potential with respect to identifying the value of intangibles and then using IP tools (i.e. patents, trademarks, licenses) to secure more sustained and higher export income. The ownership of IP is secured in market countries through the existing IP legal frameworks of the developed world.

 


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