PARKER FANTASY HYPOTHETICAL: You're the new owner of Parker Pen Co. What's your pen lineup?

[TheRedBeard]

On 6/16/2022 at 5:34 AM, alexwi said:

A billionaire you say?

 

OK. I'm in.

 

I would follow Apple's model and flood elementary and middle schools with free 45's and would invest obscene amounts of money lobbying for the reintroduction of penmanship classes and targeting influencers on social media.

 

It would take just a few months for every 12 year-old to "need" to learn cursive and a pen to go with their newfound passion.

 

Then I'd prepare the line-up of pens that will be in demand in 5 years. If it were up to me, I'd focus on the 65, 75, and 85/95).

 

Pantone would definitely be on board to tell me what colors and patterns to release every year, some of which will be limited editions never to be re-issued.

Nice plan  

Just , please, explain why did you mention P85??

It is a nice pen but I should say quite  niche product... not for everyone...

[alexwi]

On 6/18/2022 at 4:12 PM, TheRedBeard said:

Nice plan  

Just , please, explain why did you mention P85??

It is a nice pen but I should say quite  niche product... not for everyone...

I actually meant the 95. Was looking for something a bit more modern looking, but then "modern" is in the eye of the beholder.

 

There'd be focus groups for this, of course.

 

It's not clear, but if ownership of Parker includes Waterman, I'd issue the Carene Kate Spade edition, in lively colors. That pen's design really lends itself to be adorned with bright, happy colors, as @force_quit, if I'm not mistaken, has shown (he refinished one or more Carenes and the result was stunning; unfortunately can't find that thread).

[donnweinberg]

10 hours ago, alexwi said:

It's not clear, but if ownership of Parker includes Waterman,

 

I wasn't including Waterman in this hypothetical, as that brand is an entirely independent topic.

[Kalessin]

The key is to look where the dollars are going last year, and this year, and to make a prediction for the near future.

 

If you look for what younger people are doing with fountain pens on (for example) Reddit, they are concentrating much more on inks and on fiddling and customizing with their pens.  It's a hobby, and status/prestige aren't what they are looking for.

 

I'd introduce a line intended to be modular, with easily swapped parts, and affordable, too.  Clips, nibs, trim, converters should all easily disassemble and swap.  They're swapping Bock and other steel nibs between brands, grinding on their own cheap steel nibs to learn how to customize, etc, etc.

 

I'd introduce many colors under the "Quink" label, and bring out a new luxury ink line as well (with a new name, as "Penman" is not a brand name that would fare well in today's marketplace.)   Make it a fun easy product line for young pen hobbyists.  I'd even consider a branded program with "Learn to write with fountain pen" videos and printable practice books.

 

Oh yeah, time to get away from the proprietary Parker cartridges with the new line.  Standard International has completely won the marketplace.  Not only is the proprietary size making customers unhappy, but changing to add Standard International would allow ink sales to people who don't own pens and who do buy cartridges.

 

Call the new line Parker Standard and sell sell sell!

 

 

 

[inkstainedruth]

I'll disagree with you somewhat on the propriety cartridge part, Kalessin.  If I buy Parker cartridges, I KNOW they will fit ANY of my c/c model Parker pens.  But my experience with "International Standard" cartridges and converters is "not so much" on the "international" OR "standard"-- I was told, for instance, that International Standard would fit on a Penetia (a Cross sub-brand pen).  Well, maybe the SHORT ones would -- but the Pelikan cartridges that were swag from the first Pelikan hub I went to?  I couldn't fit the barrel over the cartridge.  And it turned out that a CROSS converter fit that pen just fine; but the International standard ones didn't -- the were somewhat wobbly....  

That doesn't suggest either "international" OR "standard" to me....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Checklist]

1 hour ago, inkstainedruth said:

If I buy Parker cartridges, I KNOW they will fit ANY of my c/c model Parker pens.  

 

One of the best decisions Parker has ever made.  The fact that, if my Falcon's 40-year-old converter finally bites the dust, a new one will just pop right in gives a lot of peace of mind. 

2 hours ago, Kalessin said:

Standard International has completely won the marketplace.  Not only is the proprietary size making customers unhappy,

 Lamy seems to be pretty popular.

[jmccarty3]

I would bring back the 75/Premier, my favorite Parker because of the rotating springy nibs that are easily interchangeable. These are extremely well-made, practical pens, far superior to any of the current Parker or Sheaffer designs.

[Inkysloth]

On 6/21/2022 at 10:19 PM, Kalessin said:

I'd introduce a line intended to be modular, with easily swapped parts, and affordable, too.  Clips, nibs, trim, converters should all easily disassemble and swap.  They're swapping Bock and other steel nibs between brands, grinding on their own cheap steel nibs to learn how to customize, etc, etc.

I love this idea, and would be sucked right in. I'm 40, so a fair distance from "youth" but I do like a bit of jiggery pokery

[sandy101]

How about some "guests" nibs in the Parker range?

 

The Sailor nib on the Cross Peerless is excellent.

 

Also - Parker pens are prettty plain. Most other companies have got some stunning designs - Visconti's Van Gough, MB's Writer's Editions and Montegrappa's Hemmingways and so on.

 

So I'd get some designers or artists in to make a Parker design. Maybe go for an international series - so we get a Japanese one, an Australian one, an Italian one - maybe have that as the "pen of the year".  

 

 

[TheRedBeard]

On 6/20/2022 at 7:23 AM, alexwi said:

I actually meant the 95. Was looking for something a bit more modern looking, but then "modern" is in the eye of the beholder.

 

There'd be focus groups for this, of course.

 

It's not clear, but if ownership of Parker includes Waterman, I'd issue the Carene Kate Spade edition, in lively colors. That pen's design really lends itself to be adorned with bright, happy colors, as @force_quit, if I'm not mistaken, has shown (he refinished one or more Carenes and the result was stunning; unfortunately can't find that thread).

I see... Well, P95 is nicely-looking pen but it is for the customer who love niche slim pens. 

INHO, slim pen supporters may very likely again prefer P75, which looks great and modern even in 21st Century   

 

[TheRedBeard]

1 hour ago, sandy101 said:

How about some "guests" nibs in the Parker range?

 

The Sailor nib on the Cross Peerless is excellent.

 

Also - Parker pens are prettty plain. Most other companies have got some stunning designs - Visconti's Van Gough, MB's Writer's Editions and Montegrappa's Hemmingways and so on.

 

So I'd get some designers or artists in to make a Parker design. Maybe go for an international series - so we get a Japanese one, an Australian one, an Italian one - maybe have that as the "pen of the year".  

 

 

I would never do so... IMHO, reinventing Parker in funny design is quite similar to making a grave mistake made by Blackberry that caused its death...

No one can actually beat  original P51 design, never ever  

The Visconti mentioned above is a rubbish with inflated price tag - the pen one has to tune and adjust after paying $1,000+  

 

 

 

[TheRedBeard]

On 6/21/2022 at 11:21 PM, inkstainedruth said:

I'll disagree with you somewhat on the propriety cartridge part, Kalessin.  If I buy Parker cartridges, I KNOW they will fit ANY of my c/c model Parker pens.  But my experience with "International Standard" cartridges and converters is "not so much" on the "international" OR "standard"-- I was told, for instance, that International Standard would fit on a Penetia (a Cross sub-brand pen).  Well, maybe the SHORT ones would -- but the Pelikan cartridges that were swag from the first Pelikan hub I went to?  I couldn't fit the barrel over the cartridge.  And it turned out that a CROSS converter fit that pen just fine; but the International standard ones didn't -- the were somewhat wobbly....  

That doesn't suggest either "international" OR "standard" to me....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

I fully agree - proprietary long Parker cartridge must be kept intact . Through decades I have found it being the only reliable cartridge -always working perfect and delivering up to the final drop  

[Kalessin]

I believe that Parker has really lost the ink game, and that means losing money and the youth market customers. Parker cartridges contain only Parker inks, and currently that's limited to Quink blue, black and blue-black.   Parker bottles are limited to the same three colors.  Parker converters only work in Parker pens, where anyone else's pen that can take Standard International cartridges back-to-back can fit a Standard International converter.

 

Pelikan, Montblanc, Monteverde and Sailor offer something like thirty colors each.  Pilot offers something like sixty colors and Sailor offers hundreds, and then there are ink-only giants like Diamine and Herbin.

 

The youth market is buying cheap pens like Kaweco, Jinhao, Moonman, TWSBI, and Lamy, modifying them to suit if needed, and then spending far more money on exotic ink colors, sheen and shimmer.  Ink is a high-profit product compared to pens, when considering the manufacturing cost and the cost of the components.

 

My idea if I were running parker is to sell a pen and accessories that the hobby market, the real growing segment of the fountain pen world, is spending an enormous amount of money on.  Sell them ten basic Standard inks and bring out a new broad luxury line of colors to compete with Iroshizuku, Edelstein and Sailor Ink Studio.  Emphasize the Parker Standard branding for the new modular customizable pen and its cartridges and converters ("Uses only Parker Standard cartridges and converters," but the whole internet knows it's Standard International.) 

 

Keep the rest of the line as it is, using Parker proprietary cartridges and converters.  But anyone who's been watching Parker for the last few decades has seen the company decline, and keeping the old business models and the old ways is chasing a shrinking market.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[thx1138]

I would make a re imagined P51 with cartridge/converter available in classic colours and in standard and premium versions.

 

 

Oh, wait!

[inkstainedruth]

10 hours ago, Kalessin said:

I believe that Parker has really lost the ink game, and that means losing money and the youth market customers. Parker cartridges contain only Parker inks, and currently that's limited to Quink blue, black and blue-black.   Parker bottles are limited to the same three colors.  Parker converters only work in Parker pens, where anyone else's pen that can take Standard International cartridges back-to-back can fit a Standard International converter.

You've got a good point there.  Back when I got started with FPs, over a decade ago, I preferred Quink Permanent Blue to Washable Blue and they even discontinued the cartridges for Permanent Blue (at least here in the US).  I never was a big fan of black ink (even in ballpoints) and -- back then -- I didn't see any use for blue-black.  I was ONLY using a fountain pen for journaling back then, and I disliked Washable Blue intensely -- it was an insipid color with NO water or UV resistance whatsoever.  

I've been able to find vintage bottles of a lot more colors that Parker no longer makes: both Permanent and Washable Brown, Permanent and Washable Violet, Green (although I don't like the color), and Permanent Royal Blue and Blue-black.  And I've seen (but didn't buy) vintage Red (not sure if that was permanent or washable).  Most of these were probably from the 1940s, because they were the same style bottle as for the bottles of Microfilm Black I have.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[inkstainedruth]

6 hours ago, thx1138 said:

I would make a re imagined P51 with cartridge/converter available in classic colours and in standard and premium versions.

 

 

Oh, wait!

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Targa]

Quite a deep topic.  It takes a big stretch to imagine myself a mega billionaire mogul, but I have some limited experience as a CEO of a small company with at least polynational (not multi ) operation (not at related to pens or any other personal items).  So thinking about a line-up of pens might come along later in the  process vs. considering a rework of the whole philosophy.  

Pen companies are at a difficult time in the evolution of communication.  When the Big Red Duofold was the market leader, a pen was a necessity (though it did not have to be a big premium one).  When the 51 reigned, fountain pens were still a primary means of writing, though those nasty little ball-tipped things were taking over.  Now?  Pens are really just a backup and a fashion statement.  The last bastion of actually signing your name with a pen has been restaurants and hotels, but that is becoming rare, too.  

So my first move would be to realign the business to resurrect (not rebrand) the whole approach such that a) having a nice pen is de rigeur for your meetings and such, and b) the brand to have is PARKER.  That is a not easily done.  Mont Blanc and Rolex, though not IMHO the best of pens and watches, have managed to make most folks believe they are the best.

The other thing I would address early in the process is manufacturing and logistics.  Part of the aura of bestness (Yeah I know, not a real word) includes where and how a product is made.  While the line up would need to have journeyman pens and entry-level pens, people would need to feel like they are getting some reflected glory of having pens that are simpler but still made by the best.  Would the Mont Blanc audience feel the same if they started making pens in Sri Lanka or Bangalore?  Maybe, but I lean toward "not likely".  Germany has the aura of Engineering and quality.  

In the case of Parker, I would be inclined to target European markets and North Am markets with manufacturing and delivery from Ireland or (maybe more likely) Denmark, and from Canada, perhaps Vancouver.  I'm not sure about the Asian market - maybe still EU or Canadian production with local distribution.  I feel like the Japanese companies would be hard to beat.  

Then the pens.  I fully agree with sentiments about the Jotter.  It is a backbone.  The early 51 BPs were listed as Jotters, too, and I would be inclined to go back to the cap-click actuated version of the NG 51 ballpoint.You need entry-level pens, and I personally think Parker has done a moderately good job lately, though I would be inclined to improve the plastics and trim / platings on even the least costly pens to support the air of being overall a premium brand.  I would lean toward more gold and less steel in nibs.  The Sonnet line has been cheapened down to where most models no longer seem "premium" enough to me.  I would be inclined to improve the feel of the Sonnets by redesigning the nibs to fit more deeply and tightly into the section.  I do not like the feel of the modern Sonnet nibs - there is a microvibration that says ill-fitting, loose, and cheap.  (I felt the same way about the 75s, with the equivalent of the old Chilton "wing flow" nibs.)   Then the premium pens.  The most recent Duofolds feel to me like a shadow of the 1990s models, so I'd want to see a return to the more solid, more classic-lines models.  And nice colours.  You sell more pens with more colours because idiots like myself feel the need to have an array of colours.  And service.  Remember when you could get a pen fixed?  Or get an alternate or additional nib easily?  With a human to answer the phone.  

I would also like to see a bigger pen than the Centennial models.  Not a Black Giant - that is just silly.  But e.g the BBP Churchill size or Pelikan 1000 / MB 149 size.  

And the 51.  The original 51s were such a success, IMHO, not just because of simple quality, but because of variety.  They are so collectible now because there are so many versions, and like I said above, idiots like myself feel a compulsion to have just one more colour and shiny cap style.  I know it is controversial, but I actually like my new "NG" 51 (plum, medium 18K nib).  BUT I would still refine it, improve the plastic, make the barrel longer and rearrange the cap-to-barrel screws so you can more comfortably use it without posting, make the caps airtight, maybe taper down the hood part just for appearance, and change how it is made and assembled so it can be services, or nibs changed etc.,  and have nibs from which to choose including stud or oblique or even Italic.  The NG 51 faces severe competition from, alas, the old 51.  But with some fixing, It could be, if not the flagship, at least a destroyer.  Remember the "Special Edition" 51 from Gillette?  It was about the worst junk pen ever to bear the 51 name, in terms of actually writing, or durability (I used mine, and it broke in no time - they offered, quietly, new barrels, but in my case the tip broke off the hood, so 100% out of luck), yet it still commands high prices on the web because it was marketed well (nice box, very fancy caps, nostalgia up the wazoo), and was pretty.  A NNG 51 could achieve the same.

AND  PACKAGING!  These cheap cardboard throw-away boxes need to go.  It tells the buyer they bought cheap junk.  You don't buy a 3 carat diamond from Tiffany and expect to get it in a lunch bag.  So should it be with a nice pen.  Dress it up.  Right now I think this is the single worst aspect of Parker's marketing.  

And ink.  I would be inclined to just go with private labeling OM products such as Monteverde Schmidt, and Diamine.  

 

 

[Kalessin]

Quote

Now?  Pens are really just a backup and a fashion statement.

 

Fountain pens are now seen as a _hobby_ for cool nerds, in the same category as customized keyboards, desktop audio and headphones, home-built computers, and exotic LED flashlights.  And young cool nerds are the ones with disposable hobby income.

[amk]

Three inks and they're all Safe For Work.

 

Seems like Parker management are stuck back in the 1950s when everyone needed a fountain pen in the office and it had to use black or blue or blue-black ink.

 

Also, Parker doesn't have the ability to use new inks to market the brand. Pelikan gets a bit of excitement every year with the new Edelstein; even if people don't like it they're going to talk about it. Bringing in new inks could be an excellent way to reinforce the repositioning of the brand.

[Targa]

10 hours ago, amk said:

Three inks and they're all Safe For Work.

 

Seems like Parker management are stuck back in the 1950s when everyone needed a fountain pen in the office and it had to use black or blue or blue-black ink.

 

Also, Parker doesn't have the ability to use new inks to market the brand. Pelikan gets a bit of excitement every year with the new Edelstein; even if people don't like it they're going to talk about it. Bringing in new inks could be an excellent way to reinforce the repositioning of the brand.

 

Yes, I fully agree that Parker is "stuck in 50s" again (with apologies to Moxie Fruvous), and non-staid ink is "safe for work" (good choice of phrasing).   

I neglected to say that the present generation of Parker converters is disappointing, too.  You need to order 3 at a time because at least one or maybe 2 will already be sticky, and they are too narrow and the plastic end that used to have a metal collar is wobbly and it rattles around in the barrel.  Once again, a signal to the buyer that the pen is just a flimsy way to separate an addict from his / her money.  [I am being careful about gender - in fact I suspect that there is at least 4:1 ratio of his:her money - men are far more likely to spend on frivolity like pens.  Though my wife has a very respectable bunch of vintage and modern small FPs (none Parker).  But then, I bought them for her.  So it's still an uneven split.  She prefers Encres Herbin, being of a française persuasion.]  

Anyway, random musings.  The point is that colourful inks are a selling point to fountain pens.

 

On the other point ... [Fountain pens are now seen as a _hobby_ for cool nerds, in the same category as customized keyboards, desktop audio and headphones, home-built computers, and exotic LED flashlights.  And young cool nerds are the ones with disposable hobby income.]  It's probably a fool's errand to try to bring FPs into the realm of normal daily use again, but I don't mind being a cool nerd.  It beats being just a plain nerd, I suppose.  Where do I get an "exotic" flashlight??  I just have the standard ones from the hardware store.