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Lee asked the Nashville, Tennessee-based company to issue a special-edition smoke for the "Red, White and Crüe" tour, said Jon Huber, chief marketing officer at C.A.O. International, Inc. Thus, the Tommyland cigar was born. The C.A.O. Moontrance Robusto, a flavored cigar, was chosen and double-banded with a "Tommyland" cigar band. One thousand smokes were made exclusively for backstage attendees along the 50-city tour, which kicked off in February.
The relationship between Lee and the company started with a line of "trucker-style" baseball caps that the company produced bearing C.A.O.'s "Cuban Shmooban" slogan. A hat found its way to Lee, and he wore it when he appeared on the Howard Stern radio show, which is also shown on the E! Entertainment Television channel. Later, Lee called Huber and proposed making his own special cigar for the tour.
It's about "targeting a different audience and doing something unique that no one else is doing," said Huber.
C.A.O. has garnered an image of brazen hipness in the cigar world -- from its bold "Cuban Shmooban" campaign to its innovative blends and packaging. The company has also contributed cigars to many other events in the music and entertainment industries.
