The Psychology of Brands

[verporchting]

I just feel bad for all the light blonde out of shape guys in Kentucky who can't smoke DSK even if Orlik starts making pipes. Seems so unfair.
Also a bit worried about what folks will have to smoke out of their Crappy Pipes. 8O

 

[xingpao]

I need a Butera pipe then.

 

[eddiegrob]

I like H&H and Scotty blends, but I'll be damned if I smoke any of them or any other blend in a p&c pipe.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I need Bruce Weaver to start blending tobacco.

 

[dcon]

I am amused by what a cerebral bunch we pipe smokers seem to be.
In the immortal words of Robert Palmer: "Whoa, you like to think that you're immune to the stuff, oh yeah

It's closer to the truth to say you can't get enough"
We are all participants in the peculiarities of symbolism.
Did all of the Frigateers simply come on board because it is such a lovely smoke (saved for another discussion)? Is it undeniable that some were allured by the pirate mystique?
Just as we can not replicate or ideally explain a perfect smoking experience, we cannot rationalize why we prefer x with y or in this case x with x1. I am very cognizant of all the variables involved in pipe smoking. I was primarily looking for other's anecdotal "experiences".

 

[Chasing Embers]

Did all of the Frigateers simply come on board because it is such a lovely smoke (saved for another discussion)? Is it undeniable that some were allured by the pirate mystique?

Actually I bought my first tin back in '97 because I like rum blends. Many blends in my cellar have rum. Sounds like you're overthinking nicotine delivery.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

Is it undeniable that some were allured by the pirate mystique?

Eh... no, it's really just a great blend. The pirate stuff is just a little added bonus that some of us like to have fun with. There are many different blends out there that have a pirate themed name. And although many of those are good blends, they just don't ring all the bells for some people as much as the "Frigate" does.

 

[shanez]

"Psychology of Brands" sounds so much better than "Victim of Marketing"... :mrgreen:

 

[dcon]

Anthony I have no doubt that applies to your love of BF. I doubt that can be said for all. I have smoked the BF partly because of all of the high praise but, I am sure that there were other factors, as well. I am not as big a fan (but, like I said that is for another discussion).

 

[greatdane]

Brand psychology is interesting.
For instance, why is CBW rated 2.5 on TobaccoReviews while the essentially identical RLP-7 is rated 3.1?

I bet the vast majority of pipe smokers could not differentiate between the two in a blind test.

 

[rmpeeps]

George Strait sounds best in my Chevy Silverado. For real.

 

[brian64]

In the immortal words of Robert Palmer: "Whoa, you like to think that you're immune to the stuff

Sure there's brand and marketing influence involved with pipes and pipe tobacco...just like with everything else...no surprise there.
But the part about matching blend brand with pipe brand is where you're losing everyone...no one can relate to that.

 

[dcon]

Greatdane, that is evidence of what I observe (and participate in). we "believe" something is better or 'feel' that something is better without real justification. I think that is one of the great things about each individual's "pipe journey" is they like what they like, with what they like, even if there is little evidence for that or the contrary.
I have read many a time how x is better in a y shaped bowl or pipe brand y smokes drier because its briar came from a particular zip code. There are as many claims that basket pipe z smokes just as good. I am simply suggesting this is not all do to our massive knowledge of tobacco and smoking. We, me and you, are subject to things other than our knowledge and/or our taste that go into our enjoyment.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I see zero correlation between smoking quality matching brand of pipe. If that were the case, I wouldn't be smoking much since the majority of my pipes don't also make tobacco.

 

[olkofri]

A picture paints a thousand words. A symbol paints a thousand pictures.

Quotable quote. Book worthy!
Hopefully, I'll get the chance one day to share a conversation vis-a-vis over a pipe or two with you, Brian.

 

[olkofri]

...even if Orlik starts making pipes

Don't they already? I seem to recall having seen 'Orlik pipes' somewhere.

 

[dcon]

Love you guys! For those wanting to take this too seriously, I suggest a look at the word 'anecdotal".

 

[dcon]

Brian, you spoke to what I was trying to find. I may be just the strange duck in the pond. But, so may be the guy that detects "Lakeland essence" in blends that don't contain it. We have a passion for something that goes beyond the "scientific" or the always explained. My observation is that pipe smoking is about how we 'feel', the experience. My smoking experiences are not the same as yours but, we share them in places like this.
To my initial point, I am subject to the lure of some tobacco symbols that influence the way that I enjoy the pipe. I believe, perhaps wrongly, that others are subject to the same thing (and it is not just "advertising" per se).

 

[shanez]

we "believe" something is better or 'feel' that something is better without real justification

I think people are having a hard time getting passed the matching tobacco brand to pipe brand issue when it appears, maybe, you are really asking about psychological influence in general. If so, I offer this:
This is not tobacco but, I was reviewing an offer for a relatively low chateau of $25/bottle. Their pitch, basically, started with "the chateau lies near Le Pin". To fill everyone in on Le Pin, it is most often in the thousands of dollars per bottle range. The psychology being, if it that near a chateau of that caliber, it must be a great bargain for the that price.
This is akin to saying "Fiats are a spectacularly great bargain because the factory is near the Ferrari factory". What seemed reasonable with the wine now sounds ridiculous with the cars. (Let's please not start a conversation about terrior. Skill in production is a major factor in quality.)
Back to pipes and tobacco. Dunhill dark flake is rather fantastic. So, psychologically, all of their other blends must be too? Seeing what has happened since the end of Dunhill this seems to be correct psychologically but not necessarily logically or in actuality.
So we can compare one Dunhill blend with another and get away with it psychologically speaking, similarly to how we can compare a low-end Bordeaux with a high-end Bordeaux but it doesn't seem to work with matching blends to pipes by brand somewhat similarly to comparing a particular car to another.
Not a perfect analogy, or even a good one, but I think it functions to illustrate the point.

 

[dcon]

Shanez, you are definitely on to the root of my intent. I wanted to see if others found that they preferred something without there being a logic behind it. I am actually convinced that many do but, pride negates the admission. This, I believe, has a large part to do with symbolism (actually more than just brand identification).