Zippo

The Name in Flame
Zippo. For Real
When you need it, it worcs
Use to start something
Lifetime Guarantee Made in USA
It works or we fix it free
Works always... or we fix them free
The Lighter that WORKS
Guaranteed to Work FOREVER
Always works — or we fix it free
America`s Number One Business Gift
The One-Zip Windproof Lighter

Zippo Manufacturing Company — an American company whose most famous products are lighters Zippo. The company was founded in 1932 by entrepreneur George Grant Blaisdell in Bradford, Pennsylvania. For a long time the lighters remained the only product of the company, which thanks to its qualities and large-scale advertising became an iconic symbol of the whole America.

Zippo — a popular brand under which the company Zippo Manufacturing Company produces its famous lighters. Main features of the lighters Zippo — their windproofness, convenience (such a lighter can be used with one hand, which was important in those years), reliability and simplicity of design. It is the reliability and simplicity of the product that allows the manufacturer to provide a lifetime warranty: "Either it works, or we will fix it for free." The lifetime warranty not only testifies to the high quality of the lighters, but is also a wonderful example of an advertising ploy, an idea that does not require large investments, but perfectly achieves the goal.

Equally important success factor Zippo - attention to design. Thanks to the variety of models made of different metals, lighters Zippo have become a collector's item, evolving from a household item into a prestigious accessory. The main income from the sale of such lighters comes from souvenir products, Zippo are purchased by collectors and as gifts. A relatively small proportion of buyers still remember that with the Zippo you can light it.

More precisely, the idea and the windproof lighters themselves had existed before then, but George Blaisdell was able to improve the existing designs and, thanks to his entrepreneurial talent, make them popular on the market. Blaisdell had acquired a license to import windproof lighters from Austria to the United States in the early days of his business, but things didn't go so well, the quality of the merchandise left much to be desired. Despite the initial setbacks, the entrepreneur managed to see a future in his brainchild and took the necessary steps to improve the product himself: the lighter itself and the lid were connected by a hinge, the size was reduced, the body became chrome-plated, the wheel and flint were slightly improved. In 1936 George Blaisdell received a patent for the lighter design Zippo. By the way, not only the design of the lighters is patented Zippo, but also the sound with which the lid opens and closes - a characteristic click known as Zippo Click.

If the creator Zippo limited himself to creating his brainchild and improving it, the history of these lighters would be much less interesting. But George Blaisdell understood that it is not enough to create an excellent product, you also need to be able to sell it. Massive advertising in the press, "unobtrusive" appearance of lighters in films turned ordinary lighters into a real brand.

The design of the lighters and their decoration were constantly changing, satisfying the demand of collectors and souvenir consumers. But even the company that produced such a legendary product has, over time, encountered difficulties and the need to move on, much of the difficulty pushing Zippo Manufacturing Company to change, were associated with a decrease in the number of smokers in the world, the growth of negative attitudes towards smoking and the accessories that accompany it.

The first change for the company was the reorientation from the usual markets of the U.S. and Europe to the more smoking-friendly Japan, China and the newly opened markets of the former Soviet Union.

In 2002, for the first time there is not just a new accessory Zippo, but a new type of lighter - MPL (Multi-Purpose Lighter) - multi-purpose lighters. Such lighters were intended for lighting candles, fireplaces and grills and their appearance changed the image Zippo, now it is not only an accessory for smoking, the target audience has also expanded - now not only a man who smokes, but also women have become potential buyers Zippo.

Also in the product line of the company began to appear other products: office supplies, household sundries. Zippo Manufacturing Company owns W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Company, a renowned manufacturer of knives for various purposes, and its division Zippo Fashion Italia manufactures leather bags, belts, suitcases, wallets, and other leather goods that are sold or distributed to collectors under the brand name Zippo.