Why don't the cigarette companies try and work with us?

[Zombitedesade]

It's just a thought. A crazy flight of fancy if you will, (possibly even a touch of John Lennon about it too but nvm!) but why don't the big tobacco companies try and embrace the idea of selling yet more products AS WELL as their death sticks?

They could approach a good eliquid maker and say look, here's some cash, here's our tobacco, make as real as possibley can be eliquid that tastes like our brand. A cut for them and the smokers looking to switch over but afraid of trying something unfamiliar and a cut for the liquid makers and ecig venders looking to sell more tabacoo tasting liquids!

Why can't everyone just get along! Money to be made there surely! Imagine if Malboro or whoever decided to make a real Malboro branded liquid and sold it with their packaging etc... Surely that would look good both for them at least trying to sell a healthier product and go someway to softening the blow in the perceived threat ecigs are to their business etc?

 

[Religion]

Foregoing any conspiracy theories, that sounds like an excellent idea.

 

[Cronus6]

That's not the way tobacco companies work.

What they would (and probably will) do is buy as much of the manufacturing chain as the can. This maximizes profits and gives them the control of ingredient shortages they need.

If you think things are hard now just wait until RJR, Phillip Morris etc start selling proprietary hardware. They have the muscle to do it if they want to. I'd expect totally sealed cartos from them would be the norm, not juice. Not only would they be marketing their "flavor" and "smoothness" as they do now, but also who has the longest lasting, cheapest battery, (with oddball proprietary connector of course...).

 

[symphynity]

Lets hope Micro$oft doesnt get into Ecigs !! Couldn't handle having my Atty 2.1 crashing on me first thing in the morning !! Online upgrades for the battery? Completely locked out cartos ? Passwords ??

Damn , I just scared myself , think Ill go and have a vape...............

 

[want to quit]

If big companies like Phillip morris would do this you need to remember a couple of things. It would cost them BILLIONS to change their products, it would cost them BILLIONS for advertisement, it would cost them BILLIONS in research, and last but for sure not least they would probably kill every single competition out there meaning you can pay $40 a bottle of juice.

Fick tobacco companies long live the vaping community

 

[Nicko]

Big tobacco will almost certainly market their own line of e-cigs in the near future.

 

[Iffy]

I think that the only aspect of the e-cig industry BT would be interested in is distribution, utilizing the same outlets and market as analogs.

 

[Nicko]

If big companies like Phillip morris would do this you need to remember a couple of things. It would cost them BILLIONS to change their products, it would cost them BILLIONS for advertisement, it would cost them BILLIONS in research, and last but for sure not least they would probably kill every single competition out there meaning you can pay $40 a bottle of juice.

Fick tobacco companies long live the vaping community

People can choose or not choose to buy their products. If they were over-priced, I wouldn't buy them.

Have other distributors spent billions on advertising and research?

 

[Richie G]

Lets hope Micro$oft doesnt get into Ecigs !! Couldn't handle having my Atty 2.1 crashing on me first thing in the morning !! Online upgrades for the battery? Completely locked out cartos ? Passwords ??

Damn , I just scared myself , think Ill go and have a vape...............

Reminds me of a joke (sort of a joke, anyway)

Q. When will Microsoft make a product that doesn't suck?

A. When they start selling vacuum cleaners.

<rimshot>

I'll be here all week! Try the veal! =)

 

[want to quit]

People can choose or not choose to buy their products. If they were over-priced, I wouldn't buy them.

Have other distributors spent billions on advertising and research?

You know how rich the big boy companies are they don't even notice if 2-8mio are being used to buy "competitors". If Phillip morris goes into e-cig's and takes it serious give it a year or 2 and they own 90% of the market to the point where you have no other option then just paying for it.

 

[Religion]

If they were just a nice big industry trying to sell a product that everyone likes, there would be no reason for them to not jump right in and start competing for market share.
But, alas, drug dealing is much more complex than sock sales. And the difference between polyester and cashmere is nothing to sneeze at.

 

[Nicko]

No doubt Phillip Morris will want the biggest possible share of the market, but so far they are way behind in this race. You are right, it will be interesting to see what happens in the next couple of years.

I think there will always be niche markets in this industry. For example juice suppliers who make super high quality specialty juice, and mod builders whose design and quality keep their customers happy.

Meantime we don't really know what the FDA are planning. They could make things much more difficult for us, or it might turn out ok.

 

[Diablo]

Couple reasons I think they dont embrace it.

1. its not disposable enough, it needs to be something you use for 1 day and toss out and not cost more than cigs.
2. folks are looking at it from a US/Euro point of view. The rest of the world loves to smoke cigs and do, its not in decline in say Russia,China or India. There is still a ton of money to be made off of tobacco so why introduce a new product. Phillip Morris is well diversified in other productss as well have a look here Altria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

They are not hurting for money in the least...

 

[DC2]

I think they are waiting until they find out how the FDA is going to regulate electronic cigarettes.
That process is going to take a few years still, from what I understand.

 

[Rick.45cal]

I actually read an article in the last month (from the Wall Street Journal) that was about Phillip Morris purchasing the World Patent for an Aerosol nicotine delivery system, as an alternative to smoking. Very soon I expect we will see big tobacco trying to get it's fingers in this pie. If we are worried about small vendors, then you shouldn't purchase anything from big tobacco and support your favorite suppliers. Big Tobacco can't purchase patents for PV's or atomizers. My fear is if, and when, they start making juice, that they will tamper with the ingredients. They did it to cigarettes, who can trust them now.

Big Tobacco is just plain Bad business, and I fear that they will do everything in their power to eliminate all competition, they have done a very good job of it in the last century. I doubt, any expense will be spared to keep their "customers for life"

Three cheers for our suppliers, if our community sticks together then we will continue to grow and find a way to survive no matter big tobacco's intervention.

 

[sashwa]

And who's to say they won't start adding all kinds of crap to their liquid like they do to their cigs? I don't think I would trust them.

 

[Cool_Breeze]

Can it be demontrated that "Big Tobacco" is not hard at work in China and isn't involved in the deveopment of liquid nicotine?

"Big Tobacco," like other "Big Industires" has no doubt had quite an international outlook for some time.

 

[DC2]

Can it be demontrated that "Big Tobacco" is not hard at work in China and isn't involved in the deveopment of liquid nicotine?

Well, we know two things...

1) Phillip Morris was in talks with Ruyan (who holds the patent on electronic cigarettes) awhile back but the talks fell through
2) Ruyan is now wandering around trying to sue people for patent infringement and has settled a couple of suits for cash

If there is anything else we can know, I haven't heard about it yet.

 

[Eddie.Willers]

Terrible idea - Big Tobacco involvement would only attract more gubbmint attention and, bet your last dollar, taxation and more control.

 

[Sandrita]

I think BAT have already started looking into it Nicoventures | Home