Marketing Parker Pen Strategy

Introduction

Parker Pen History

George Safford Parker, the founder, had previously been a sales agent for the John Holland Gold Pen Company. He received his first fountain pen related patent in 1889. In 1894 Parker received a patent on his "Lucky Curve" feed, which was claimed to draw excess ink back into the pen body when the pen was not in use. The Lucky Curve feed was used in various forms until 1928.

a Parker Frontier Ball-point Pen
From the 1920s to the 1960s, before the development of the ballpoint pen, Parker was either number one or number two in worldwide writing instrument sales. In 1931 Parker created the Quink ("quick drying ink") which eliminated the need for blotting. In 1941 the company developed the most widely used model of fountain pen in history (over $400 million worth of sales in its 30 year history) theParker 51. Manufacturing facilities were set up over the years in Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, France, Mexico, USA, Pakistan, India, Germany (Osmia-Parker) and Argentina. Parker pens were frequently selected (often as favorite pens of the signers) to sign important documents such as the World War II armistices, and commemorative editions were sometimes offered.

Quink refills.
The company bought retailer and catalog company Norm Thompson in 1973, and then sold it off in 1981. In 1976 Parker acquired Manpower just as the temporary staffing market was surging. In time Manpower provided more revenue than the pen business. A 1982 spinoff, Sintered Specialties, Inc., became SSI Technologies, a manufacturer of automotive sensors.
A management buyout in 1987 moved the company headquarters to Newhaven, East Sussex, England which was the original location of the Valentine Pen Company previously acquired by Parker. In 1993 Parker was acquired by the Gillette Company, which already owned the Paper Mate brand, one of the best-selling disposable ballpoints. Gillette sold the writing instruments division in 2000 toNewell Rubbermaid, whose own Stationery Division, Sanford, became the largest in the world owning such brand names as Rotring, Sharpie, Reynolds as well as Parker, PaperMate, Waterman and Liquid Paper.
In July 2009 the 180 workers at Parker Newhaven got notice that the factory was to be shut down and the production moved to France.
On 18 August 2009 Newell Rubbermaid Inc. announced that Janesville Wisconsin would close the remaining operations tied to Parker Pen and eliminate 153 jobs. The company said:
"This decision is a response to structural issues accelerated by market trends and is in no way a reflection on the highly valued work performed by our Janesville employees over the years."
Newell Rubbermaid stated it will offer transitional employment services as well as severance benefits.
More recently, Parker has abandoned traditional retail outlets in North America. While some Jotter pens may be found in retailers such as Office Depot, what little remains of the Parker line has been moved into upscale "luxury" retailers, abandoning the entry level market.

SWOT

SWOT analysis is a structured planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture. A SWOT analysis can be carried out for a product, place, industry or person. It involves specifying the objective of the business venture or project and identifying the internal and external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieving that objective. The technique is credited to Albert Humphrey, who led a convention at the Stanford Research Institute in the 1960s and 1970s using data from Fortune 500 companies. The degree to which the internal environment of the firm matches with the external environment is expressed by the concept of strategic fit.

Mission statement

A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company, organization or person, its reason for existing.
The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making. It provides "the framework or context within which the company's strategies are formulated." It's like a goal for what the company wants to do for the world.

For most of a century we will design the world's most diverse and innovative range of pens.
We shall engineer the most innovative and unique pen the world has ever seen (thus irritating hell out of Sheaffer). Then, decades later, while the Chinese are still making are still making the an authentic version of the pen and selling it for $30, we'll sell a copy of the cheap copies that people made back in the forties and sell it for hundreds of dollars

Vision Statements

Vision Statements also define the organizations purpose, but this time they do so in terms of the organization's values rather than bottom line measures (values are guiding beliefs about how things should be done.) The vision statement communicates both the purpose and values of the organization. For employees, it gives direction about how they are expected to behave and inspires them to give their best. Shared with customers, it shapes customers' understanding of why they should work with the organization.

Marketing Process
Parker Pen selling product:
Duofold
Premier
Sonnet
Ingenuity
Urban

Duofold

Emblem of excellence
Since, 1921 Duofold has been iconic of the stunning craftsmanship and heritage of Parker. Finished in precious metals, Duofold offers an exceptionally comfortable and luxurious writing experience thanks to its durable solid gold nib.
Parker Duofold - the reference in fountain pen

Premier

Prestige personified
Flawlessly crafted using precious metals and a solid gold nib, Parker Premier is a prestigious, yet still contemporary choice with its modern, all-black design. Comfortable, precise and hand-assembled,
Parker Premier offers an exclusive fine writing experience

Sonnet

Poetry in motion
Timeless and elegant,
Sonnet is hand assembled and checked for flawless quality.
The solid gold nib gives high precision and exceptional writing comfort for every occasion, coupled with a stylish and classic design.
Available in a range of finishes, the Sonnet is a work of beauty, emblematic of Parker craftsmanship

Inqenuity

Innovative design
Welcome to the new generation in pens.
Innovative and modern, Parker Ingenuity intuitively adapts to your writing style in seconds for an effortlessly smooth, easy glide feeling, thanks to the latest Parker 5THTM Technology.
The dynamic, standout design is right on-trend, making it the perfect accessory to travel with you anywhere

Urban

Rewriting the Rules
Urban's dynamic curved design offers a bold modern look that dares to be noticed. With a stainless steel nib, designed for both left and right hand writers, and Rollerball FreeInk Technology for an effortlessly smooth and confident writing experience, your inspiration is never cut short with Urban

Targeting consumers