tatuajeanarchy.com
 

Just came across this on Twitter, I'm guessing its marketing for a new cigar line thats coming next year.

www.tatuajeanarchy.com

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

Member of another forum claims that from good sources it is an upcoming clothing line... not a cigar.

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

That was my first guess, but oh his twitter earlier today, he said "not clothing."

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ah, good to see. would be nice to have a new limited production cigar that we could all struggle to get!

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2011 is a ways off, talk about building up hype early.

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Thats all Tatuaje does.

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

Pete Johnson is a tool.

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omg... I have a feeling there will be about 10 pages of this...

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Try 90, on 14 different threads.

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why does every Tatuaje thread turn into a "Do you hate Tatuaje" thread?

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Because people are tired of PT Johnson's gimmicks and BS and just want to enjoy good without all of the smoke and mirror tricks?

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Yay one more cigar, that I am sure will be great, but I won't be able to find. And when I finally do I have to pay 3x msrp

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The money whore is at it again. Yay another overpriced self destructing wrapped cigar. I can hardly wait! :rolleyes:

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Wow, the anger... His cigars are great, he markets them well, yay capitalism.

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

I'll agree with you, he markets very well. I think most of his cigars are decent, but are not worth the trouble to find them and shell out the cash. Yay, capitalism.

Either way, it just gets back to the old adage: "Smoke what you like, and like what you smoke." I have the feeling that this thread is going to turn into another Tat bashing seesion, becuase the release of the cigar is too far away to start talking about it. All the info we have is that fancy video on the site.

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

I have $50 that says the hype will work. Example - the rush, whining, moaning when peeps could not track down the Boris and Dracs. If nothing else, his marketing is as good as Harleys.

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

:r

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I love most Tatuaje cigars! Sure it's frustrating to find certain ones but it's just a cigar not a new type of technology/gadget that we absolutely MUST have. People shouldn't get all bent out of shape because a business owner knows how to market well enough to increase profits. Anyone in a position to hype up their own product to those that are fans of it for financial gain would do the same as Pete does.

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

I smoked an original jar release black this weekend that I had been holding onto. I can't for the life of me figure out what all the hype was about. Can't see getting all lathered up about his new venture.

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

:r:r:r

I think he aspires to be the marketing machine that is Harvey Danielson.




A fluer de lis on clothing of any cigar smoker, or anyone that has had wistful thoughts of smoking a cigar at all times!!!! Even when you aren't smoking!
Let the world know you define yourself by your brand by constantly having a logo within dreamy gazing view, thusly redefining your sense of self imposed and elusive, yet gauzy, purchased well-being at every glance.


Limited time offer, BUY NOW, we may run out!



the fluer de lis will live in infamy!


(craftily adopted by Pete Johnson, and others, for centuries)
Didn't Affliction or one of the Ed Hardy douchebaggery companys start plastering FdL on everything in the past 4 or 5 years? Did Pete get cranky with them, and tell them that their stuff wasn't limited enough? Maybe the clothing idea isn't such a bad idea. :rolleyes: ;)

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

...but still short of the brilliance compared to Fuentes marketing.

Remember when the Opus was in its early stages? You could only find them east of the Mississippi. At the same time, they introduced the Diamond Crown line. Those they initially made only available west of the Mississippi.

What that did was create a chaotic situation in which west coasters were paying ridiculous inflated prices for Opus at local B&M's, and visa versa for the Diamond Crowns on the east coast. It increased demand for both products on a national level for smokers wanting what they could not normally acquire locally.

Brilliant.

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

More power to him, if his marketing nonsense works so be it no one forces any of us to buy any of his smokes. Personally I like most of what he has put out but I'm done trying to jump thru hoops for a cigar since there are a hell of a lot of great smokes out there.

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

Yes, he is a marketing machine but if the cigars didn't back up the hype in most cases the ploy would only work once maybe twice and he would quickly fade away. More often than not people really enjoy the cigars so the buildup and hype will work every time until he starts failing on putting out a product that people enjoy and backup the hype. I just wish he would make his price points a little more reasonable but at the end of the day lets face it, his job is producing and selling cigars. He does it to make a living and to make money so if what he is doing sells more product than he is good at what he is doing and making a good living because of it. Wouldn't we all like to make more money? Hell, most cigars could use a reduction in price but cigars are a luxury item and like most luxury items the prices aren't always reasonable. My only other real complaint other than price point is the delicacy of a lot of these special release cigars wrappers. For example the Verocu series. Those wrapper will pop and burst sometimes just looking at them funny but they're a great smoke and I made sure to stock up on them when I could. Until his product starts to fail to satisfy the masses I would expect to get used to Tatuaje to be around a while. Yes, trying to track down some of these smokes suck and the inflated prices from having to track down these smokes sucks too but no one is forcing you or I to go out an do it. I do find it funny how so many people hate Pete for his marketing tactics but Fuente who does the same thing every year with Opus and Anejos flies under the radar. Maybe it's because everyone is so used to it by now.

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

Just like Steve Jobs. :=:

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

People that just walk into B&M's and have absolutely no idea of what a cigar forum is...enjoy whatever Tat's they happen upon and have no opinion of Pete Johnson.

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

They've also been known to enjoy Cremosas and Puros Indios cigars too...

And the occasional $45 Opus X or $100 Burpha in a glass tube.

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

Pete Johnson is a cool guy. I like his cigars.

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

I think capitalism is great...and Pete is a master of marketing. However, I have chosen not to chase after every limited production, best thing since sliced bread cigar that he (or anyone else) releases. If I can find them at one of the local B&Ms or online at reasonable prices, I will try them, just as I do with most every new release that comes out. In my experience, the limited production stuff is usually a let down anyway. The Dracs were mediocre at best. The Boris is better, but neither are as good as most of the regular production Pepin/Tatuaje products. The black tubos really aren't very good, IMO. The red tubos are much better and of all the limited production tats they are the best, but they are one of the easiest to find....go figure.

There is a difference between Opus/Anejo marketing and Tatuaje marketing. Opus are released quarterly and all the shops with Fuente accounts get some. So, they are limited, but can be easily obtained by the masses. Anejos are released once per year to all Fuente accounts and are still fairly easy to find. Hell, I've seen Anejos for sale in 2 different shops in the last month at MSRP. Even if you miss a release, you can get in on the next one with no sweat.

My point is that hype and marketing will buy you a pretty puppy, but only a truly great cigar will make him wag his tail. Pete's regular lines are great...especially the new El Triunfador. He does not need fancy packaging, limited production runs, golden tickets, or any of that other crap to sell cigars. They sell themselves. I'd rather all the manufacturers put their effort into making outstanding cigars than trying to sell me something with fancy packaging or a "limited" run.

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

:tpd:

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I agree that Tatuaje has benefited greatly from some excellent marketing, but that link still baffles me. For one, I don't understand how pictures of police in riot gear and terrible music have anything to do with a cigar company. and second, what market segment of cigar smokers is that supposed to appeal to?

Even if it is a whole new venture unrelated to cigars, like clothing or music, it doesn't seem like it is meant to appeal to the majority of his current fans, based on that website.

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

Amen!

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

I think all the hating on a brand does a lot to discourage some of our newer members. Just something to think about CA family :2

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

Yep.

The cigar industry is different than most others. Its all about the product in the cigar world. Thats it. If you produce a great cigar, it will sell.

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

Yeah, there some great Gurkhas, um... Tats!

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

IMO, Pete has already established himself and his cigars. The majority of people like his cigars. So anything he releases now and in the future will cause a buzz without all the marketing. He should back off the marketing, save a butt load of money, and let the crazy cigar folks talk up the cigars. He is a house hold name and shouldn't market his line/cigars like he is new anymore:2

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

:r

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

That's really only applicable to the forum crowds and a small percentage of non-forum types. Outside of that circle, he's still tiny, attempting to grow into small. Altadis or General probably sells more cigars in less than a week than he does in a year.

Hence the reason for the continued marketing.

If it works for him, great, go for it. I don't personally need or care for his parlor tricks, but at the end of the day, they really don't mean **** to me. Yes, I have fun poking at some of it, but I don't keep myself awake at night fretting over Pete's marketing campaign.

Ultimately, any increase in his sales is beneficial to the industry as a whole, because it pulls consumers further in. The further in that they are pulled, they more they buy, and not just his cigars, as they start looking around and venturing into other manufacturers.

And right now, with the S-CHIT taxes and more restrictions and regulations coming down the pipe seemingly daily, any one cigar maker or manufacturer's increase in sales benefits all cigar makers and manufacturers.

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

Outside of the forums...the marketing doesn't mean a thing. 99% of the time...I'm bringing the news to the B&M's. And if there isn't somebody in the shop that knows the line enough to be able to promote Pete's sticks...it won't even get off the ground. I've seen it happen...

Sorry...late edit: While we're talking about hype and marketing, here's a pic of the latest Monster...The Face

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k1...30797_3079.jpg

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

From the horses mouth(via Facebook)...

"The plan is to sell 666 limited edition boxes of 13 to 13 retailers on the 13th of Oct. and have 1300 plain boxes of 10 sold the week of Halloween to my top 130 retailers."

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

Nice.

Haters gonna hate, it gives them something to do. I like the Tatuaje and DPG regular lines enough that I don't feel the need to chase down the rare/htf stuff. I've had some of those releases and thought they were great, but when you start to get worked up and angry about finding/not finding a certain cigar it's time to actually light up and smoke what you've got and R-E-L-A-X. I think in the end, for me, all marketing is obnoxious, so I have a hard time taking any ad campaign seriously, and I don't see the need to single out one particular businessman to venomously denounce him for trying to make a buck. They're all out there doing the pretty much the same thing.
I think that all of the Pete bashing lately is not necessarily in the spirit or best interest of the forum, especially when the mantra is "smoke, what you like, like what you smoke." We know you don't like PJ guys, some of us do, there's no need to spit everytime the name is mentioned. :2

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

:tpd:

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

I don't think people are hating on the brand, they are just hating on the gimmicks and marketing. I have not read a post where folks are bashing the sticks. On the contrary, Tats are some of the best NC sticks out there.

He will never be as big as Altadis or General. If that is his plan, I think he is living in lala land. People recognize brands like Punch, Montecristo, RyJ, etc from the brands' Cuban heritage. To say that selling some monster themed sticks or whatever marketing ploy you can come up with is going to boost your name recognition to that of brands that are well over 100 yrs old is crazy.

The best marketing tool for cigars is still the rating your brand receives in Cigar Aficionado magazine. While we all have our opinions about the magazine, it is where the average cigar smoker on the street gets his or her information about different cigars.

I could understand all the marketing ploys and gimmicks if Pete made chitty cigars (look at the way CI, JRs, Thompson, etc market some of the off-the-wall nastiness). His smokes are some of the best in the business and deserve to be treated as such. I can understand making a few collectors boxes, etc but making a limited production that sells at only certain shops and then hyping it up is and was a recipe for disaster. Folks were calling around to different B&Ms looking for Dracs. While this seems to be good for boosting the brand, I think a lot of folks got their feelings hurt as a lot of loyal Tat fans were not able to procure them on the open market and had to pay through the nose for them. Some B&M owners were jealous of others who received shipments and they didn't...etc. It damaged B&M reputations with their local customers in some cases and was an all around boondoggle over cigars that were not some of his best work. He could have sold more cigars at the same price by offering every one of his retailers a certain number of boxes.

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

not to mention the whole ticket thing was insanely stupid, with retailers eligible to win.
I like Tatuaje.. a lot. They are some really nicely blended sticks.


I just can't afford them as it is, and I don't see them being as good a value as many other alternatives I can easily get for what I perceive is a a better value when my cigar budget isn't what I would like it to be.




And it helps to not feel/look like an 8 year old searching for an elusive Pokemon card. ;)

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

Sorry - I'm just a noob in the cigar world, maybe 5 years. I missed that one with the Opus.

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

:tu

I also can't afford much of the Tatuaje line. Last year with the Drac looming and hype building, I thought to myself, wow, I can have thirteen of this NC Limited Release that may or may not be good, or a whole box of 25 CC Monte Especiales. Let me just say I'm really enjoying those Especiales, and having avoided the Drac fiasco entirely, I can still say I like Pete Johnson and his product. ;s

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

I must really be what PT Barnum was talking about.....

I fell head over heals for that clever marketing from the boys at the Moco.

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

I thought I might repost after reading some of the followup postings.

In case any thought I was bashing the sticks, in no way. Smoke what you can afford and what you like and enjoy. Life is way to short to smoke bad sticks.

I was commenting more on his marketing. As others have noted, it also comes accross as gimmicky to me and that gets my cynical warning thoughts going. I am definitly more of the word of mouth for a good product advertising type. Too much smoke and mirrors looks shady, your milage may vary.

Whether it's good sticks, the marketing, distrobution, he has folks chasing his product. Good for him. As I noted on par with HD, Apple, etc that have a lot of the fans. I hop in and out of HD stock all the time because they can sell "stuff". I think their motorcycles are not necessarily the best (before you start hating, I currently own a '07 Streetglide) but HD knows how to move product. Apple has people upgrading a phone, device at least once a year. All good for the bottom dollar.

I do think at this point based on local B&Ms in VA, his product is out there. A bit higher priced than the average stick, but he is not unknown. I'm not sure at the end of the day what image, opinion, etc he wants folks to have concerning him and his product, but at this point, he still comes accross as a shuckster type to me and I don't think that's a fair representation of his cigars.

Re: tatuajeanarchy.com
 

Too funny, guess who pulled into town today and is setting up at the colosieum?

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Opus X came out in the late 90s...

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Who? The circus? Hells Angels?

Gotta give Harley credit; for over 100 years, they've been tricking people into spending 3 tiimes as much as as a metric for a third of the bike they tell me.

Sorry, this is about Pete Johnson...