Platinum in China

In recent years Platinum has dedicated a lot of energy to the low end of the market of fountain pens. I have already expressed my skepticism about the long term success of this strategy, but in the meantime we see Platinum releasing a number of inexpensive models—Curidas (::1::, ::2::, ::3::), Prefounte, Procyon...

The Platinum "Little Shooting Star".

And last year --2019-- Platinum marketed a variation of the well-known model Preppy called “Little Shooting Star”, but only for the Chinese market. This detail makes this pen poorly known in Japan –or anywhere else--, leaving Fudefan and Inky Rocks as the primary sources of information.

Preppy and Little Shooting Star side by side. The nib units and the sections are the same for both models.

On my side I can only formulate a couple of questions I cannot answer:

-- Is it worth to release this variation of the long-produced Preppy instead of marketing the Preppy itself in the Chinese market?

-- Is this sector of the market that profitable? Or, in other words, can Platinum really compete with the myriad of inexpensive pens made in China that are launched into the market almost every week?

This seems a difficult challenge for Platinum.

Platinum Curidas – Private Reserve Dakota Red

Bruno Taut
Nakano, May 31st, 2020
etiquetas: Platinum, China, mercado