Feedback wanted: Community engagement

[eyjaygaming]

Hey everyone,

beginning in April, I begin my dream job working for a world renown Pipe Tobacco producer. My responsibilities will also include market research, trend watching and engaging customers overall. It'll be a challenge, but I'm up to it... my prior job has been a good preparation for what is to come I love pipes, I love tobacco and I love working with people.

Question: What are your thoughts on the overall engagement of tobaccco producers overall in our communities?

Sure, there are legal restrictions and such / and forum users (I include myself) are a very niche group - but I have the feeling that pipe makers are super engaged, actively show a presence in forums, Facebook and social media... whereas the 'tobacco guys' are oftentimes nowhere to be found. *Insert Cricket noises*

Would love to hear your thoughts. Cheers, Danny

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

There is a "tobacco guy" that is easily found on here from time to time, lol.

 

[eyjaygaming]

There is a "tobacco guy" that is easily found on here from time to time, lol.

Sorry, I meant tobacco producers or professional blenders etc.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Sorry, I meant tobacco producers or professional blenders etc.

So did I.

 

[fireground_piper]

It doesn’t usually tend to go very well when it’s a back and forth engagement. As much as I appreciate the few folks who do drop in from time to time to engage, in inevitably brings out the many whys of people to their own personal preferences.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

Sorry, I meant tobacco producers or professional blenders etc.

There are a few folks from the industry here on the forum but thier participation is pretty limited, they occasionally pop their heads in to defend themselves, dispel rumors, and and counter inaccurate theories. But otherwise don't engage.

I get it though, some of those industry professionals have a somewhat "celebrity" status in the community. And nobody wants to spend hours on a forum answering fan mail or arguing with people who think they have something to prove. It can be difficult for some of those people to engage on a normal level on forums or social media.

I'm not sure I agree that carvers/makers are more engaged than tobacco industry people. Not here at least. Carvers tend to be more engaged with each other than with the community at large.

But I cannot speak to anything other than this forum, I think Face Broke is going to cause the downfall of civilization, so I'm not on it. Same goes for any other social media.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I’d consider Pease pretty well engaged here - maybe no back and forth in the forums but definitely active in the community on the site.

The pipe radio show and other articles have some other blenders pretty well engaged.

So anyone wanting to be familiar with what this site has for involvement should know they aren’t “nowhere to be found” - I think the answer for the OP is to get more engaged in terms of seeing what really is available, for example, might be pleasantly surprised.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Since I have been here, I have seen several blenders or company reps come and go.
@eyjaygaming Are you willing to tell us what company?

 

[captpat]

There are a few folks from the industry here on the forum but thier participation is pretty limited, they occasionally pop their heads in to defend themselves, dispel rumors, and and counter inaccurate theories. But otherwise don't engage.

I'd say that the level of engagement is about right, i.e., occasionally. This is a forum for enthusiasts not another advertising avenue.

 

[AJL67]

Since I have been here, I have seen several blenders or company reps come and go.
@eyjaygaming Are you willing to tell us what company?

You didn’t say “overall” in your reply, overall i think that was an oversight or did i overplay my hand?

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

And by all means OP should participate on behalf of the company - just be careful what you wish for!

 

[eyjaygaming]

Thanks for your feedback, guys. Very much appreciated.
One can say a lot about us pipe smokers... but not that we're dishonest or mince words

 

[NomadOrb]

It would be cool if we as a community could vote on which small batch we want or something like that, but I understand why that isn't a thing.

 

[Oddball]

I think any avenues for information are great. That being said, they don't always have to be new news news. It can be narrative, exposition, explanation, description.
I am always happy to read stuff by tobacco guys and look forward to seeing them when the opportunity arises.

 

[rmbittner]

@Oddball wrote: “I am always happy to read stuff by tobacco guys and look forward to seeing them when the opportunity arises.”

That pretty much sums up my stance as well. I don’t have any particular “need” for tobacco companies to engage here…or anywhere else, for that matter. Honestly, unless a company spokesperson is sharing some personal tobacco/pipe-smoking history or something directly related to brands/blends I love, I don’t pay much attention.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I don’t have any particular “need” for tobacco companies to engage here…

I like to hear from the blenders about casings, the different leaf types, how they can come together in blends...
Maybe what the blender was shooting for in making this or that.
Show us that you're human, and add to the camaraderie. Russ Oellette and Greg Pease used to be good at that.
Also, Russ used to have some humorous observations about his own pipe smoking.

I don't really care to hear "how" to smoke a particular blend, or any sort of dogmatic pipe thing. Or, in trying to convince us that were are wrong about an opinion.

I'm not sure what a rep for a particular company can add. A blender can have a lot to add to the forum. But, I am not sure what someone just hired to rep a company can add.

If you are working for STG, I make no apologies for my opinions.

 

[vosBghos]

Thanks for your feedback, guys. Very much appreciated.
One can say a lot about us pipe smokers... but not that we're dishonest or mince words

Don't know if this is germane to the feedback but if you are working for a blender as an Oriental lover It would be nice to have more blends with rarer Orientals featured, taking the lion's share of the blend and not sullied with too much or rather any Latakia so that the other more obscure Orientals could shine. Or other Orientals by themselves as single leaf lightly cased to keep the tase as true as possible, so we can experiment and blend ourselves. Thanks for reaching out...

 

[rmbittner]

Don't know if this is germane to the feedback but if you are working for a blender as an Oriental lover It would be nice to have more blends with rarer Orientals featured…or other Orientals by themselves as single leaf…

If I were the company rep I’d ask how much of a premium you would be willing to pay for such blends. Because the general attitude I’ve seen here is that many are unwilling to pay more than $15 or so for 50g/2oz of a blend they’ve never tried. Would you go to $25/tin? $30?

Rare tobaccos will necessarily require premium prices—maybe even unusually high premium prices if the potential market is small and specialized.

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

I agree with Cosmic. I would love to hear about the process, leaf types, etc.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Because the general attitude I’ve seen here is that many are unwilling to pay more than $15 or so for 50g/2oz of a blend they’ve never tried.

Just because a few very vocal curmudgeons made posts, doesn't mean that this is a majority opinion by any means. As a whole, I think that they penny pinching, cheap tobacco in a cheap corn cob pipesmoker is a very small market, and of no consequence to the market as a whole.
Some things just aren't going to be marketed to them. It might piss them off, but why keep those of us willing to buy nice things from having access to them just because of the bottom feeder aspect of this hobby?