Montblanc Gets Some Brand Pr

[markh]

Meet the $935 Pen That Turns a Scribble Into a Status Symbol

Why President Obama and Johnny Depp both own Montblanc's Meisterstück

 

 

 

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/meet-935-pen-turns-scribble-status-symbol-165458

 

 

.

[max dog]

Thanks for sharing.

 

Good article. It reveals some facts and is not just another knock at the brand for being a status symbol:

 

"Fortunately, writers knew a good pen when they held one, and Montblanc nibs laid down the prose of scribes ranging from Ernest Hemingway to Anne Frank. "

 

 

[brunico]

Jessica Kleiman, author of Be Your Own Best Publicist: How to Use PR Techniques to Get Noticed, Hired and Rewarded at Work. "A personalized, well-crafted note on beautiful stationery—particularly written with a fountain pen, which is not only expensive but also takes some practice to use—demonstrates that the letter writer values the written word and wants to be remembered."

 

Hmm, the expensiveness of fountain pens aside, I'd have my doubts about hiring anyone who had to practise in order to use one.

[ThirdeYe]

In Anne Frank's diary, it never specifies what type of fountain pen she used. One could only assume what it was.

[Uncial]

I thought the Queen used Parker 51's exclusively?

[Jerome Tarshis]

I enjoyed reading the article, and I'm glad markh posted the link, but I wouldn't say the article is especially heavy on factuality. As its author evidently doesn't know, "Meisterstueck" isn't the name of any one pen model; it's a word used generically to describe the manufacturer's top-of-the-line class of pens. Over the years since 1924, many different pens have been sold as Masterpieces. I can't imagine there is any evidence that the 149 as an individual model is the most famous pen in the world, and in any case it dates back only to the 1950s. That Montblanc is currently the best-known brand name may be true. Or, who knows, possibly not. Who is being asked?

 

Whether Queen E II has been "spotted" with any Montblanc Masterpiece is open to doubt. So far as I know, Parker has the royal warrant and Montblanc does not.

 

Ad Week is a magazine. Like other magazines, it entertains and diverts. Also gives the news, to the extent that the editors know what the news is. There have to be words on the pages, one way or another. In the dim past, when I was a copy editor at Business Week, we were forbidden to use the magazine itself as a basis for fact-checking. "You know the class of people that work on the copy desk here," my boss explained. Something similar may be true of Ad Week.

Edited July 6, 2015 by Jerome Tarshis

[inkstainedruth]

I thought the Queen used Parker 51's exclusively?

Ditto. Also, didn't I read someplace on FPN that JFK used an Esterbrook?

It's a nice enough article. Doesn't make me want one (a bit too much emphasis on it being a status symbol).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[georgeb]

The Queen used a Montblanc as shown in the picture in the article because it was provided with the guest book she was signing. I recall the story on this forum.

 

The article sounds like they are saying that the people listed use/used Montblanc 149's on a regular basis or perhaps exclusively, that's stretching things a bit I think.

[georgeb]

The Queen used a Montblanc as shown in the picture in the article because it was provided with the guest book she was signing. I recall the story on this forum.

 

The article sounds like they are saying that the people listed use/used Montblanc 149's on a regular basis or perhaps exclusively, that's stretching things a bit I think.

Here is the link: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/206879-hrh-queen-elizebeth-with-a-montblanc/page-2

[Bklyn]

 

Hmm, the expensiveness of fountain pens aside, I'd have my doubts about hiring anyone who had to practise in order to use one.

Agreed.

[Bklyn]

I enjoyed reading the article, and I'm glad markh posted the link, but I wouldn't say the article is especially heavy on factuality. As its author evidently doesn't know, "Meisterstueck" isn't the name of any one pen model; it's a word used generically to describe the manufacturer's top-of-the-line class of pens. Over the years since 1924, many different pens have been sold as Masterpieces. I can't imagine there is any evidence that the 149 as an individual model is the most famous pen in the world, and in any case it dates back only to the 1950s. That Montblanc is currently the best-known brand name may be true. Or, who knows, possibly not. Who is being asked?

 

Whether Queen E II has been "spotted" with any Montblanc Masterpiece is open to doubt. So far as I know, Parker has the royal warrant and Montblanc does not.

 

Ad Week is a magazine. Like other magazines, it entertains and diverts. Also gives the news, to the extent that the editors know what the news is. There have to be words on the pages, one way or another. In the dim past, when I was a copy editor at Business Week, we were forbidden to use the magazine itself as a basis for fact-checking. "You know the class of people that work on the copy desk here," my boss explained. Something similar may be true of Ad Week.

Interesting insight.

[Bklyn]

The Queen used a Montblanc as shown in the picture in the article because it was provided with the guest book she was signing. I recall the story on this forum.

 

The article sounds like they are saying that the people listed use/used Montblanc 149's on a regular basis or perhaps exclusively, that's stretching things a bit I think.

Agreed. The pen can be largely ceremonial for heads of state and special events.

[Bklyn]

Interesting article but it has a flavor that is, to me, misleading. The pen, although a wonderful fountain pen, can be largely ceremonial. So if you sign the peace plan, you pull out the 149. If you drive to the place to sign, you take the Bentley. You wear the suit to sign, you wear the Baroni.

 

I get it but the question is, to me, far more fundamental. I leave the house with my best pens. I bring the pens I love to hold and write with and pull across the paper. Does O have the 149 in his pocket right now? If not, why?

 

One last thing. The pic of the 149 in the article seems to have a dull finish. Not the bright high gloss I see at the Mont Blanc store. Did anyone else see that or am I simply mistaken.

Edited July 7, 2015 by Bklyn

[Frank C]

Interesting article but it has a flavor that is, to me, misleading. The pen, although a wonderful fountain pen, can be largely ceremonial. So if you sign the peace plan, you pull out the 149. If you drive to the place to sign, you take the Bentley. You wear the suit to sign, you wear the Baroni.

 

I get it but the question is, to me, far more fundamental. I leave the house with my best pens. I bring the pens I love to hold and write with and pull across the paper. Does O have the 149 in his pocket right now? If not, why?

 

One last thing. The pic of the 149 in the article seems to have a dull finish. Not the bright high gloss I see at the Mont Blanc store. Did anyone else see that or am I simply mistaken.

 

I did notice the dull finish. Perhaps they are coming out with a matte black version.

 

I understand that the President no longer has his 149. He left it on his desk in the Oval Office and Joe Biden picked it up . . . .

[Shangas]

In Anne Frank's diary, it never specifies what type of fountain pen she used. One could only assume what it was.

 

I have studied Anne Frank's diary extensively.

 

NOWHERE is it mentioned that she uses a Montblanc.

 

I'd love to know what hidden source of information these people dug up that says that she did.

[deepak23]

I did read somewhere that Anne Franks pen got accidentally burnt down.

[rwilsonedn]

MB scores another great product placement. I wonder what it cost them ...

ron

[tinkerteacher]

Dear Kitty,

Thursday, 11th November, 1943.

 

I have a good title for this chapter:

 

"ODE TO MY FOUNTAIN-PEN IN MEMORIAM".

 

My fountain-pen has always been one of my most priceless possessions; I value it highly, especially for it's thick* nib, for I can only really write neatly with a thick nib. My fountain-pen has had a very long and interesting pen-life, which I will briefly tell you about.

 

When I was nine, my fountain-pen arrived in a packet (wrapped in cotton-wool) as "sample without value" all the way from Aachen, where my grandmother, the kind donor, used to live. I was in bed with 'flu, while February winds howled round the house. The glorious fountain-pen had a red leather case and was at once shown round to all my friends. I, Anne Frank, the proud owner of a fountain-pen!** When I was ten I was allowed to take the pen to school and the mistress went so far as to permit me to write with it.

 

When I was eleven, however, my treasure had to be put away again, because the mistress in the sixth form only allowed us to use school pens and ink-pots.

 

When I was twelve and went to the Jewish Lyceum, my fountain-pen received a new case in honour of the great occasion; it could take a pencil as well, and as it closed with a zipp looked much more impressive.

 

At thirteen the fountain-pen came with us to the "Secret Annexe" where it has raced through countless diaries and compositions for me.

 

Now I am fourteen, we have spent our last year together.

 

It was on a Friday afternoon after five o'clock. I had come out of my room and wanted to go and sit at the table to write, when I was roughly pushed to one side and had to make room for Margot and Daddy who wanted to practice their "Latin". The fountain-pen remained on the table, unused while, with a sigh, it's owner contented herself with a tiny corner of the table and started rubbing beans.

 

"Bean rubbing" is making mouldy beans decent again. I swept the floor at a quarter to six and threw the dirt, together with the bad beans, into a newspaper and into the stove. A terrific flame leapt out and I thought it was grand that the fire should burn up so well when it was practically out. All was quiet again, the "Latinites" had finished, and I went and sat at the table to clear up my writing things, but look as I might, my fountain-pen was nowhere to be seen. I looked again, Margot looked, but there was not a trace of the thing; "Perhaps it fell into the stove together with the beans," Margot suggested. "Oh, no, of course not!" I answered. When my fountain-pen didn't turn up that evening, however, we all took it that it had been burnt, all the more as celluloid is terribly inflammable.

 

And so it was, our unhappy fears were confirmed; when Daddy did the stove the following morning the clip used for fastening was found amongst the ashes. Not a trace of the gold nib was found. "Must have melted and stuck to some stone or other," Daddy thought.

 

I have one consolation, although a slender one: my fountain-pen has been cremated, Just what I want later!

 

Yours,

 

Anne.

 

The admen are striking a new low with trying to protray Anne Frank as some kind of Montblanc snob. Really, really low. Read that last line in this diary entry again.

 

The "pen fire accident" aside, Anne was mostly a pencil user for day to day writing, as can be seen in the numerous photos of her holding a pencil. Later, while hiding in the attic she used what ever 'ersatz' writing material and ink substitute she and her father could fashion. Some pages of her diary are almost like a rainbow with all the different 'ersatz inks'.

Edited July 7, 2015 by tinkerteacher

[Bklyn]

 

I did notice the dull finish. Perhaps they are coming out with a matte black version.

 

I understand that the President no longer has his 149. He left it on his desk in the Oval Office and Joe Biden picked it up . . . .

I heard the same thing about Joe Biden. Hang onto your pens near him Frank.

[Frank C]

I heard the same thing about Joe Biden. Hang onto your pens near him Frank.

 

I guess that he'll be out of work soon. I don't imagine Hillary or Bernie would offer him a job, except maybe, High Commissioner for Micronesia or something like that.

 

I read "The Laurel and Hardy Love Affair". It was certainly worth 12 minutes, but I didn't time it. I had forgotten what a wonderful way with words Ray Bradbury had. I read Fahrenheit 451 in Junior High.

 

I just ordered two anthologies of his short stories from Amazon. Thanks for link.

 

To get back on track, Public Radio had an auction for a "Yes We Can" MB 149 shortly after Obama's election. I got it for a very good price. I'm sure that's the one that Joe Biden would most like.