Montblanc: How They Became The Global Leader Of Fine Writing Instruments

[Estycollector]

Ruth to the rescue as always.....

 

My two 9 year old grand daugthers have run through their ink reserves using their little Pelikan Twist FP's. I hope they don't ask for a MB. Their grandfather is an Esterbrook collector. They will have to settle for blue collar pens....LOL!!

[pararis]

I didn't view the video that kicked off this lovefest. After 10 years in the Washington lobbying world, I know what CEOs say and why they say it -- that BS never changes.

 

Frankly, given the current MB presence in this world, I'm proud to say I've never owned one of their "writing instruments." I've never even written with one. There's nothing I would do to support a company built solely on making money. They are a merchandising and marketing entity now.

 

I value (and trust) companies that value their own products. That's why I've always been attracted to Japanese pens and the companies that produce them. Love of excellent craftsmanship seems baked into the Japanese culture. There was probably a time when MB made pens because they loved pens and truly valued the craftspeople who could produce fine products. But that time is in the past for MB. They now look at everything as a profit opportunity. If they could convince people they make the best boiled peanuts in the world, they'd be furiously boiling peanuts -- and showing ads with prosperous young people eating boiled peanuts in exotic places. I happened to see an MB ad on FB this morning -- selling a perfume for men, for "fearless men." Gagged me.

 

As for "hating," that's something that always seems to get thrown into a mix like this, and it's frankly meaningless and often meant to distract from a main theme. I don't hate anyone. I do hate marketing done for manipulative purposes. It's sort of the old idea of hating the sin but not the sinner.

 

Comedian Bill Hicks summed it up for me in a bit he use to do on stage:

 

"By the way, if anyone here is in marketing or advertising...kill yourself. Thank you. Just planting seeds, planting seeds is all I'm doing. No joke here, really. Seriously, kill yourself, you have no rationalization for what you do, you are Satan's little helpers. Kill yourself, kill yourself, kill yourself now. Now, back to the show. Seriously, I know the marketing people: 'There's gonna be a joke comin' up.' There's no joke. Suck a tail pipe, hang yourself...borrow a pistol from an NRA buddy, do something...rid the world of your evil presence."

 

The company that is now MB is not doing anything positive for the fountain pen world. And unless there's some drastic change, they won't be.

[Uncial]

I'm going to set up a pen company with no marketing and with no intention to make a profit. It will be an entirely charitable loss leader but they will be the world's finest fountain pens ever with every potential to be the world's desire.

 

Just don't ask me about it because that would be advertising and I'd like to avoid the death threats in the post

[max dog]

Unfortunately too often people selectively find evidence to reinforce their beliefs and biases. It's good when you need to defend someone or something like in business or with legal matters. Problem is, this approach in all matters prevent people from discovering all the possibilities, and they get stuck in their narrow view of the world. I have to admit I had similar biases and reservations towards MB when I first got into fountain pens. When I opened my mind to all the possibilities, my enjoyment of the hobby increased tenfold. Lamy , TWSBI, Pilot, Cross, Pelikan, Parker, Sheaffer, Visconti, Aurora, Montblanc..etc, they all offer great options and joy in writing!

 

I thought the MB CEO interview captured the essence of fountain pens and their place in the world of digital today. They are selling more than just a pen, but writing culture. Lamy CEO in this interview effectively say the same thing as Montblanc regarding their marketing strategy. Fast forward to 2.0 minute mark.

 

"Lamy is much more than just a pen, it's about the life style of writing, joy of writing...joy of looking at your writing, being able to express yourself..."

Edited March 9, 2020 by max dog

[peroride]

I enjoy my old 1980's 145 and 146 but I'm not living the Montblanc lifestyle

 

I can only judge the MB I use and they are great well made pens. I have not compared to the Jinhao knock-off though

 

I admit it was one of the last brands I bought. I was curious about the cachet of vintage as opposed to the modern Meisterstück that did nothing for me on demo. In fact I was smugly satisfied that MB fared poorer than my lowly Sailors.

 

A gifted (most likely fake) MB rollerball got me started on the hobby as I was youtubing my way to do cheap syringe rollerball refilling when i realized that is what fountain pens are. I had forgotten my boyhood Sheaffer with its cartridges.

 

The whole MB luxury branding was/is a turn off much in the same way as Rolex but I've come to realize that both Rolex and MB do make fine instruments if one can look beyond the marketing. History shows they made quality tools. Then the marketing shifted, maybe in the heyday 80s and here we are in luxury city.

 

While the rational mind turns to, "I could/would not afford such luxuries", stupidity differs. Remarkably, I've spent waay more in sum on other brands than had I just been satisfied with the one true precious resin icon of the art of fine writing!

 

What's that a status symbol of? Stupid and crazy?

 

Well, I'm just glad there's a club for that

[A Smug Dill]

My only issue is considering MB the pinnacle of FP writing instruments. Those of us collecting and restoring old vintage pens understand there were some exceptional products being produced over the past 100 years.

 

 

Equally, those of us — members of the fountain pen hobbyist community, which I've been repeatedly told is a broad church — who prefer new, modern fountain pens, and have no personal interest in either history or "vintage" writing instruments, would also question whether Montblanc pens are among the best (what, 5%?) on offer at that price point in the highly accessible global market today.

 

I neither question nor resent Montblanc's success in positioning itself at the luxury end of the market; the brand simply doesn't interest me personally, just as vintage pens don't interest me. I don't hate anyone for their preference for Montblanc, or using (or just sporting) Montblanc products, even though I've come to dislike some such individuals — e.g. my manager in my first job, some twenty years ago — for completely unrelated reasons, and I can't say whether they have tainted the brand in my esteem (as opposed to the other way around).

 

However, when asked by friends who care for my recommendations (simply for "virtue" of having more pens then they do?), Montblanc is one of the last brands I would suggest, no matter what their budgets are. Sailor makes some great and beautiful writing instruments, as does Platinum and Pilot, in the (to me personally) really expensive segment. Or I could suggest Aurora and Pelikan, alongside the Japanese "Big Three" brands, for mid-tier fountain pens.

 

I see nothing undesirable for the hobby or the community with my "marketing" efforts which may have some small effect in eroding Montblanc's (and Parker's, Cross's and S.T. Dupont's) relevance and market share, and "helping" Montblanc get to a place where it needs to decide whether it wants to go for broader appeal and/or re-focus on selling how it excels competing with its contemporaries in terms of quality. That isn't something I'd expect the current generation of Montblanc fans to take issue with in the imaginary battle for recognition or "mind share", when no brand has inherent merit or value to the world other than what it produces and offers today.

[nanahcub]

I have always thought of Montblancs as the Rolex of the pen world.

a-) Expensive.

b-) Instantly recognisable

c-) (Perhaps the most important) Instantly recongnisable as expensive.

 

People who want an expensive watch, that looks expensive, but don't know a huge amount about watches, generally buy a Rolex, because everyone knows what it is.

 

It is much the same with Montblanc. They are distinctive, everyone has heard of them - and even if they know nothing about pens, they will know that a Montblanc is expensive.

 

Therefore, if anyone wants a watch in order to show off their wealth, they go for a Rolex - nothing wrong with Rolex, they make fine watches. But there are others just as good for the same money, or less. These watches do nt have the same "look at me" factor that Rolex has, though.

 

If somone wants a pen to show off, they go for Montblanc because it is recongnisable and tells people they have an expensive pen. Again, there are other pens, just as good or better, for similar money. But they are perhaps not as well known to the general, non-pen public. A Montblanc tells everyone it is an expensive pen.

 

I could be totally wrong about his, and wrong about the reasoning behind many of the sales of these products - but in my experience, I think many people buy them to say "Look at me. I have an expensive product" rather than buying them and saying "I bought this because after a lot of research, and knowledge of the products, this is the best I could get for my needs.

 

That sounds very negative, and I don't mean to say that I begrudge people who have achieved success wanting something to represent that success.

 

I am just saying they seem to be the go to brands for people who often do not know a lot about the product, but want an expensive one.

Edited March 9, 2020 by rbuchanan

[gerigo]

This is always a very interesting topic for me to read as part of my job is exactly this; how to help brands become more desirable to their both current and future customers.

 

Before Montblanc became a lifestyle focused brand, it was a manufacturer of high end writing instruments that spared no expense to create the most superior pen. The evolution from a technically based manufacturer of products to a house that spun lifestyle aspirations on hindsight might seem obvious. However the people and the minds that went about choreographing this evolutionary path has to be commended because no matter how we might bash their current pen lineup, their existence and financial health actually helps to propel the entire industry forward. As consumers we benefit because we have yet another brand to choose from.

 

The good thing is that because the current version of the brand did not eschew its venerable manufacturing history, the brand currently appeals to 2 groups of people. One are those that know about the past history and still think of Montblanc as a premium pen maker, and the other as a peddler of status. For these people, it does not matter if they bought a twig. As long as there is a snowflake at the cap, they would be quite content.

 

While I don't disagree their pens are over priced and you can get better writing experience with XYZ brands, there are 2 things they do well. They have a WIDE range of designs to choose from, ranging from the evergreen lines like the Meisterstuck, to annually changing Writers Edition, Patron, Great persons designs. Name me another company and brand that is so willing to spend so much to retool consistently every year to bring forth new designs. And I don't mean changing the color of the acrylic. (I am looking at you Aurora and Pelikan). They also have a wide range of nib sizes to choose from. If you have enough cash they can even make you a custom nib. There are some vehement bashers of the brand. While Montblanc is designed to be as widely appealing as possible, there are an equal number of people it will not appeal to. And that's A OK!

Be happy we all have choices that drive our crazy little world.

[Cyclohexene]

I don't think there's anything wrong with buying a Montblanc to show you have an expensive pen, regardless of their inherent quality and what not. People buy and show off branded sneakers that rival the price of a Montblanc, and Montblancs, as far as I know, aren't made by child labour in sweatshops. Buy what you love and ignore what other people think, I respect that.

[inkstainedruth]

I am just saying they seem to be the go to brands for people who often do not know a lot about the product, but want an expensive one.

 

Agreed. I've had more people notice the pen I was using when I was using a Noodler's Konrad (which cost $20-$40 US, depending on whether the pen in question was resin or ebonite).

Additionally, I have lost track of how many threads I've seen where someone is going "Is this MB pen real or a fake?" Nobody is posting "Is this Noodler's pen a fake?" -- or most other brands, for that matter (although I have seen a couple of threads in that vein asking about Lamy, Parker and Pelikan pens over the years). But questions about MBs? All the time....

The best description is a conversation I had years ago with a friend of mine, who at the time lived the next town over from me in MA. At the time I was working in a framing shop, and, well, my boss was a snob (she was also the poster child for narcissistic personality disorder, but that's another story). My friend said that when she and her husband moved to the area, she had gone in to see about getting some pieces framed and ended up walking out because she was basically ignored by my boss because she was wearing jeans. As my friend said "I was wearing jeans because I like to be comfortable -- but for all your boss knew, I could have had a GAUGUIN hanging in my house!"

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[cellmatrix]

 

I've had more people notice the pen I was using when I was using a Noodler's Konrad

 

My Noodlers Konrad attracted a lot of notice - because mine had a funny smell

[Estycollector]

My concern is someone will think my LAMY Al-Star is a Safari.....😂

[Thymen]

(tiptoeing out of this post, trying to close the door as silently as I can and hope no-one ever finds out I've been here....)

[chromantic]

I can honestly say that I wasn't aware of Montblanc until I started hanging around here a few years ago. Growing up, I was familiar with Parker and Sheaffer, of course, Cross for their ballpoints and Rotring for technical pens. I knew Pelikan from their watercolor sets and Caran d'Ache from their watercolor crayons/pencils but didn't cotton to Pelikans as pens until I got here.

[max dog]

 

 

It is much the same with Montblanc. They are distinctive, everyone has heard of them - and even if they know nothing about pens, they will know that a Montblanc is expensive.

 

 

Rolex earned it's keep with professional divers all over the world for creating some of the finest and reliable dive watches money can buy.

 

My concern is someone will think my LAMY Al-Star is a Safari.....

If you leave the niche fountain pen community, for most people who have ever only used a BIC crystal, a Safari is a status symbol.

 

I don't know what all the fuss here is about Montblanc. All they did in 1980 was elevate the pen as an object of desire, so they could survive and continue doing what they do best, make nice pens. They succeeded. Computers basically killed the pen industry relegating writing instruments to cheap plastic disposable plastic ball points, ie the BIC Crystal. All the other brands making fountain pens today are basically doing what Montblanc is doing, making nice desirable pens, in different tier markets.

[ethernautrix]

Doesn't matter what brand of pen I'm using, if a civilian sees it and asks, typically it's, "Is that a Montblanc?"

 

It's like Kleenex, which is a brand. Probably tissue connoisseurs at tissuenetwork.com discuss the public's ignorance of other brands, calling tissues "Kleenex," sigh, whaddya gonna do?

Edited March 10, 2020 by ethernautrix

[A Smug Dill]

I don't know what all the fuss here is about Montblanc.

 

 

What the fuss? There is a whole lot of grey area between disinterest, disdain and outright hatred. My personal preference is for everyone to treat everything — except those they consider have proven its worth to themselves (individually) — with closer to disinterest than disdain, much less irrational hatred. I personally like Sailor most out of the Japanese 'Big Three' fountain brand pens, but really couldn't care less if some individual fellow hobbyist regard the brand with disinterest or even distain; that's not a 'fuss'. I have no shares or other business interest in Sailor Pen as a corporation and, when all is said and done, don't care whether someone willingly (or wilfully) miss out on the benefit or joys of being a user of Sailor fountain pens. I understand personal preferences and allegiance outside of business interest, but I don't see why anyone would think it's a big deal if someone treats one's 'beloved' brand with disinterest, disdain or even outright hatred.

[Estycollector]

Rolex earned it's keep with professional divers all over the world for creating some of the finest and reliable dive watches money can buy.

 

If you leave the niche fountain pen community, for most people who have ever only used a BIC crystal, a Safari is a status symbol.

 

I don't know what all the fuss here is about Montblanc. All they did in 1980 was elevate the pen as an object of desire, so they could survive and continue doing what they do best, make nice pens. They succeeded. Computers basically killed the pen industry relegating writing instruments to cheap plastic disposable plastic ball points, ie the BIC Crystal. All the other brands making fountain pens today are basically doing what Montblanc is doing, making nice desirable pens, in different tier markets.

 

I was a pharma rep and am still in medical sales where pens are a form of advertisement. What I noticed over the years is if I bought a pen I would always have it when needed. If I used one of our giveaway pens I would.....give it away. So, the MB I bought in the 1990's was something I kept in the breast pocket of a suit or sports coat. I thought it looked big and cool, and I always had a tool when needed.

 

Lamy was a brand I had never heard of until past year.

 

Internet forums and blogs are wonderful for making us aware of brands and products. I am sure this forum has contributed to Mont Blanc Acquisition Disorder and well as FPAD...….

[greencobra]

I don't know what all the fuss here is about Montblanc.

don't worry about it. there's been a fuss since the first day i logged into fpn, it was going on when i left 5-6 years ago, and now i resume my activity here and it's still being debated. some things never change people say.

[TheDutchGuy]

 

...vintage pens don't interest me...

 

 

Not wanting to go off-topic, but I’m curious why you’re not interested in vintage pens. I have a few that I think you’d appreciate very much. As much as I admire modern pens, the pens I cherish most are vintage pens (purely because of how amazing they write, not because of materials or design or age). Going back on-topic, I love my two vintage MB’s but new ones leave me stone cold.