Is the Vic website just full of BS?? And what about these Red Dot awards?

[Huntsman]

Hi SAK Fans

Like most of us here I am a massive fan of Victorinox and their products
But I have got to ask myself - Is their website just full of BS ?      

I was reading their Evoke spiel today - Here it is:
"Stylish simplicity in pocket-knife form: meet Evoke, a strong collection of blades set to rock the outdoors. With a range of innovative features, these pieces of an everyday carry kit are the evolution of adventure. From the removable thumb stud to different blade shapes and colour variations, the Evoke collection is as functionally seamless as it is aesthetically sharp."
https://www.victorinox.com/global/en/Hunter-Pro/cms/hunter-pro-collection

Of course we all expect marketing hype and overselling on websites etc etc   

• But what innovative featiures does the Evoke have?    Alox scales, thumbstuds, drop-point and clip-point blades have been around for donkeys
  
• And  what is the range of features anyway?  - They are simple, single function, single blade, folders - Sorry Vic different colour scales, whilst nice to have a choice - And they are great - Does not constitute a 'range of features'!! Especially when you compare the Evoke to their 91mm family for example !! 
  
• What on earth is the 'evolution of adventure'? Adventure is an activity or experience - What does it evolve into ?    And how does it turn into a pocket knife
  
• What does functionally seamless mean?    How can you have a seamless function?     Does that just mean it works?
• And how sharp is aesthetically sharp - Aesthetics is all about style, look and feel, design, beauty - It is not a measure of sharpness?   

Sorry Vic - But this really is a load of bull.
And let's not start on the White Stuff Camper material last year.

I also wanted to mention the Red Dot awards.
Vic frequently seems to win them - Eg For the Evoke - What is so special about the Evoke? Yes they are a great set of knives
But they are just an new version of the Hunter Pro with a thumb stud

They also received a Red Dot award for the Nailcare SwissCard
And also I think for the Precious Also Classic series - And maybe a few others!!

These are all wonderful products - But, at least to me, hardly innovative or with unusual/outstanding design
Although I gotta say - Maybe the Precious Aloxes were a nice innovation/change for Vic

I think the Vic marketing team are on the awards committee and just award it to themselves             

PS. Apologies team - I must be in a grumpy old man mood today            

[buggs]

Grumpy old man mode (you said mood, I say mode) is an excellent defense against unscrupulous marketers.  Love Victorinox, but let's not kid ourselves here, the marketing department is likely entirely terrified of pointy things.  Some may have ventured outside, but likely only to get to their car. 

Your comment about awards is likely very accurate.  I worked for an organization that had awards that one had to be nominated for.  Self nominations were altogether too common. 

[hiraethus]

Victorinox have been a lifestyle goods company since the early 2000's, and like most such companies they've embraced modern marketing bullsmurf in order to sell things people don't need to people who don't need them.

The Red Dot Awards are good publicity, but the application is paid for by the company submitting them - Victorinox will have paid a fee for each product that's won.  Red Dot is a profit-making company, whose main purpose is to promote good design.  But they make money doing so - make of that what you will.

[MacGyver]

Great write up Huntsman, i subscribe every single word!!
You are definitely "my kind of guy" in that regard.  I also love Vic and (most) of their products, but i'm a "fan" not a "fanboy".
Usually marketing crap never worked on me (like..., EVER), from any company, so they can hype it and say whet ever they want that it makes no difference to me regarding buying this or that product.
It's good for a laugh, at best.

Victorinox is certainly not the same company as it was, for example, in the 80's and 90's... I have no illusions.
But after 9/11 the market changed, and in later years the market changed even more, and they have to do what they must to keep afloat, i can understand that...

In a matter of fact, i think that in the last 2 or 3 years they have been cutting corners in SAK production even further. It may be just my imagination, but the latest SAK's just feel a little lighter, and i swear the liners (at least inner liners) just look thinner than they where like 5 years ago. For example, my new Handyman feels almost as heavy as my Deluxe Tinker i got like 4 years ago.
I could actually verify that, but i really can't be bothered these days.

[Fireman]

Is their website just full of BS ?   

Yes.  Like you, I'm weary of endless adjectives strung together into something resembling sentences.  However, I laugh quietly while thinking of the nerds that write this gibberish being replaced by AI.   

[Blunt Object]

 

Especially if you live in a small langue area you can have lots of fun reading ai written and/or machine translated product descriptions that make a crappy Chinese knockoffs sound like the Holy Grail, for €5 plus shipping.

[Bunk Tuppins]

Yeah the catalog has a lot of silly verbiage.  I've been looking at it for the pictures and the hard info (specs, etc).  The truth is very few people will ever see that catalog.

[Sneider]

Welcome to our planet, we call it marketing. 

I'm not a fan of it, no, I actually hate it! 
But apparently these days you have to be loud and conspicuous, exaggerated, otherwise you won't be seen.
look at advertisements in general and see what kind of BS they suggest.

"Drink our sugar water and you can fly"
"Use our shampoo and you'll have a great career"
"Put our cream on your skin and you'll look 20 years younger"

This is the marketing world we live in
 

[Enginears]

I am with you Huntsman, I have a habit of not reading past a few words when I see sentences heading into marketing garble.

I imagine that vic is in the position of Having to make changes to stay relevant and they are choosing a certain path. I can’t say I particularly like it, but I do hope it works well enough for them to continue to exist and maybe flourish creatively again.

[LoopCutter]

@ HUNTSMAN -    well stated! 

Just words!  To sell. 
The Hunter Pro is a great, heavy duty folder.  The EVOKE series is the yuppie product and few will ever see real use! IMHO.

[Simon_Templar]

Funny, Huntsman, your post reminded me of a famous Futurama line: "...and that's why you'll never make captain, Kif!". Grumpy old man, ain't ya?

Cheers,

Simon

[MacGyver]

Grumpy old man, ain't ya?

Well, i agree with him 100%, and actually would even voice it way more harshly.
But the problem is not just Victorinox or marketing..., is current day society, as a whole.

[Rizio Il Ghiro]

Well, I’m clearly another grumpy old smurf as I’m in agreement with Huntsman, but, as many others have said, it does seem to be a sign of the times - o tempora, o mores as a famous Roman curmudgeon put it!   

[LoopCutter]

We can awl have our views and it is obvious that many if now awl members here that collect Victorinox produced knives  are in the belief that SAK is knife maker.

From my view, SAK or SWISS ARMY is a BRAND!!!
 A lifestyle, Watches, luggage, clothes, what ever.

SAK is in the BOUTIQUE OUTLETS,  as much as the SPORTING GOODS OR SPECIALITY SPORTS STORES.
In catalogs, on web sites. Stories (words) SELL.  AND COLLECTORS BUY.

We (members here) have an advantage, we recognize QUALITY, expect it, and BUY it.

[Explorer]

i'm not really going to blame Victorinox for choosing such an inept marketing and advertising agency because let's face it advertising agencies just aren't what they used to be.

[Murphy Slaw]

"Drink our sugar water and you can fly"
"Use our shampoo and you'll have a great career"
"Put our cream on your skin and you'll look 20 years younger"

I know I'm tired of that deodorant commercial where the girl talks about her butt crack.....

[Enginears]

i'm not really going to blame Victorinox for choosing such an inept marketing and advertising agency because let's face it advertising agencies just aren't what they used to be.

(Image removed from quote.)

I love that you found that, I was thinking about Madmen too. Something about “functionally  seamless” reminds me of  the show.

[MacGyver]

In catalogs, on web sites. Stories (words) SELL. 

As much as i can agree in general global terms, that is something i never understood as it was always something that had like, ZERO impact on me.
I don't think i was ever influenced to buy anything (like, ever) by advertising... Even  though i can recognize some clever and tasteful advertising when i see one, and that is, unfortunately, a very rare thing these days...

[Explorer]

I love that you found that, I was thinking about Madmen too. Something about “functionally  seamless” reminds me of  the show.

 

 

[Aloha]

  Marketing can be such a fun thing but when the verbal diarrhea begins I'm out!