cigarette companys, why dont they

[aardy]

well instead of fighting the e-cig , why dont the big companies like malboro etc make and marked there own brand liquids , seems to me there is a fortune to be made from it .
look at the research into flavors they could do if they wanted to
im sure they could make it taste near the same as their tobaco cigs,

maybe its to obviouse for them, cant see the wood for the trees and all that .

 

[Vapenstein]

The same reason that auto companies don't want an engine that gets 100mpg. There is a huge tobacco lobby, and lots of people stand to lose a lot of money if the status quo changes.

 

[aardy]

well yes , but the status quo allways changes as time moves on , so they best get in while there is little competition

 

[Infernia]

Have to agree with Vapenstein on that one. It would be a great marketing opportunity and a way to get in on the profits to be had. Imagine the power e-cigs would have against the FDA if they only would jump on the wagon.... sadly there is far too much money tied up in all of it.
Even in my dinky little town in NC tobacco is STRONG here. You can't drive 2 miles without passing a tobacco field and those not growing tobacco are growing a crop to rejuvinate the soil so they can grow tobacco again.
Oil, Tobacco, Auto... *sigh*= Big fish... e-cig = tiny little microscopic algae.
Still we can hope.

 

[RyMel]

well seeing as Nicotine is derived from the tobacco plant, as long as they keep growing the tobacco, we will still be able to get our nicotine from e-liquids. so they really have nothing to lose as far as the tobacco growers are concerned. it is the thought that the big cig sellers might lose out on $$ from cigarette sales that is scaring the crap out of them, that and the government will lose out on all the taxes that come from tobacco and cig sales, which helps to fund health care for the poor. a vicious cycle, and until the e cig gains a WHOLE lot more popularity, big tobacco and cig makers and the people that benefit from their sales and taxes are gonna fight it tooth and nail. personally, after being poisoned by their cigarette additives for years, just so they could keep me addicted to their product, i don't care if phillip morris made THE best e liquid in the world, i wouldn't buy it!!!!! i mean really, i already know their interest and $$ comes before my health and safety.....they are not gonna turn over a new leaf to sell a healthier product. if they made liquid who is to say they won't add more cancer causing crap to it to keep me hooked on their brand only....while disguising it as a necessary part of production. no thanks.

 

[Kevin Freeheart]

A relative of mine worked for Philip Morris for a while. Her career was in printing. She played a part in the development, design and branding of Philip Morris products - some products which are not currently on the market. She can give specifics about the packaging and designs that Philip Morris will have rolling off of production lines the day weed is legalized. And they've had branding and packaging for their electronic cigarettes for years.

I can promise you this, Altria Group is not ignoring the e-cig market. And contrary to popular belief, they're not secretly gunning for the destruction of the industry either. They're waiting for it to develop in several ways.

If Philip Morris created a brand of strawberry flavored cigarettes and had a cartoon woman as the brand's mascot, there would be a public outcry about "safety of the children". In reality, cartoon mascots appeal to adults too, but the stigma of "Big Tobacco" means they will NEVER get away with it. Legislation would be passed, coalitions of concerned busybody moms would be on Good Morning America decrying it, all that stuff. And yet, there are small companies today selling strawberry-flavored vape juice with cartoon women mascots and nobody says anything (well, not true. I say I like the branding. ). What happens when someone DOES start complaining, and what legal precedents are set will define the risk that Philip Morris takes in rolling out their own e-cigs.

There are a few other specifics that are holding Philip Morris back from running their own branded e-cigs right now but some of those things are being "hammered away on". Some of those things COULD be good for the vaping industry and some of them could be BAD.

 

[unknownclient]

Kevin,

Would you be able to elaborate on the specific issues that are hold Philip Morris back from releasing their own?

 

[UntamedRose]

I'm really not so keen on trying Marlboro(or any) e-liquid. Seriously these same folks put EXTRA stuff in cigs...those 4,000 some odd chemicals arnt all natural.

 

[Demoness]

I don't think I would want BIG Tobacco getting into the scene. One reason is what has been mentioned above- what additives would they add?? Cause you know they would have to add some kind of preservatives- not that we already don't consume them- and I haven't done enough research as to what preservatives might be in our juices. Another reason is the possibility of our wonderful Government seeing how much can be made and then deciding to put extra taxes on it like they have recently done to analogs. I know it will happen eventually, but I would rather see it happen later than sooner!

 

[DC2]

They are waiting to make sure they will get control instead of Big Pharmacy.
The current court case will decide that, and it is currently going in favor of Big Tobacco.

If the court case continues as it has been going, at some point they will feel comfortable investing the money to get it rolling.
And then you can figure they will come in with both guns blazing.

 

[banjo]

I think that for the time being, big tobacco is either sitting on the side lines or working quietly to undermine the eCig industry, but if the eCig market continues to expand as rapidly as it is now - somewhere between 20,000 to 30,000 new users weekly in the US alone - they might eventually try move into the market themselves. Although, China is the major force behind the eCig industry, and already has major manufacturing facilities devoted to the manufacture of both hardware & juices, and big tobacco might not have the ability or the will to compete with China, and will just try to restrict its ability to compete with their tobacco products around the world through government restrictions.

 

[NJDev78]

I have no doubt that you will be able to walk into a store and buy a pack of marlboro carts in the near future

 

[Mathew R Taylor]

Commenting on a few comments - Remember that the tobacco industry is old and cantankerous; they move in ultra slow speed compared to anything tech related. This is evident in any industry; slow to adopt. That said BT is waking up, and realize that there is a market for non cigarette products if the explosion of Snu's are any indication. They are employed by intelligent human beings like you and I, so I suspect (though cannot confirm myself) that they are paying very close attention.

I think that they are waiting on the sidelines, but for financial reasons. If they were to take on this newly emerging market right now, they would have to grease palms, and fight legal battles with the ilk of the FDA, as well as correct the thinking of the "masses". All of these activities would eat into the ever important bottom line. Since it is still new and underground, and is quasi-legal there is no safe predictions on how viable the market will be in 5, 10 and 20 years (for now). That's another strike to jump in. I have thought about BT expanding their business into new revenue streams, but it appears that the safest one is not vaping, but third world countries. As of yet their established source of revenue in the West has not been inundated to the potential it could be in the emerging markets of the third word countries of the world. Good Safe Bet, right? No bans on smoking, little to no bans on advertising, and our dollar really has some buying power. Yes, you can find major brands for sale, but not saturated like they are here.

To Kevin and banjo's point - I think they ARE sitting in the background watching with very rapt attention waiting for us to pass or infant hurdles and explode. Then it will be time to swoop in and introduce their very refined products (having learned the balance of great product/cost from early adopters) and ad campaigns to thoroughly capture this market too.

 

[gonzojazz]

We definitely don't want big tobacco involved. The first thing they would do is to buy out all of the "mom and pop" e-cig vendors that we all buy from. Then prices would go sky high.

 

[MedsKid]

well instead of fighting the e-cig , why dont the big companies like malboro etc make and marked there own brand liquids , seems to me there is a fortune to be made from it .
look at the research into flavors they could do if they wanted to
im sure they could make it taste near the same as their tobaco cigs,

maybe its to obviouse for them, cant see the wood for the trees and all that .

But we r addicted to more then just nicotine in the analogs, if these big companies decided to jump in could we trust them? Would they add crap so our vapour so that we always choose their brand?