I think it’s already been said a number of times. We might even say for the most part it’s a consensus.
The only requirement is you are a member of this community. Yes this will mean we will have an influx of new members. I can only guess that a majority of them will just be here for the knife but I’m sure some might stay and contribute. We have to take off our collector hats for a minute and remember what this knife is for, to recognize the members of this community. The fact that there will be knives that will go straight to eBay really doesn’t matter in this context. The community reference will be attached to it. It will be advertising for this community that will never stop. People who don’t know of this community will suddenly go looking for it out of curiosity. It’s actually quite brilliant.
Remember this investment in time, money, etc to create this community but it has more than one purpose. We have been essentially been in beta testing mode for this community. Victorinox saw a value in it. Yes the input from an engaged community for instant feedback is important but possibly to look at trends and to a lesser degree new ideas. All they have to do is have AI do a community summarization at a given interval and you have a report. For this report to really mean something you need to have a mix of hard core collectors as well as people just discovering something new or both. I will use this package opener as an example. Many very knowledgeable collectors are just being introduced to the tool in their own hands on tests. All of this data is interesting to a company trying to keep pace with the ever changing market. Everything is about keeping your brand visible and retain or increase you market share though excitement or innovation.
I see this entire community/forum project as a huge positive. If nothing else it demonstrates to me that Victorinox is very forward thinking and is being proactive. Doing everything they can to keep the company strong. Every investment must realize a return to be successful. I think this community will provide this should they choose to use it. Offering the community knife is a way to generate excitement and get more people here.
Now here’s what I see as a possible solution that might address some of the valid concerns about user personalization/exclusivity. We all get access to the exact same knife. No number stamping or user name printing. Include inside the knife box (or with the knife) a small printed certificate with this user name and even membership details on it. Every collector knows you really want all the original packaging for it to retain its full value. Make this certificate be part of that. Victorinox could even have it printed the outer box sleeve or stuck to it as a sticker or crest. Whatever would be the most cost effective. It wouldn’t take much. It would be even better if it was personally signed by a company official.
Lastly I’d like to say I personally resist change usually. I like the community as it has been this last few months. I recognize that it will probably change a little moving forward. I feel this was its beta phase, a development phase. I think that may have even been initially stated when membership was by invitation only. It was always going to be opened up or that potential was always there anyway. I think we as a group kept the conversation alive in a respectful way that may have encouraged Victorinox and demonstrated to them that this community might be of some useful value to them. I congratulate everyone here for doing that and I think this opportunity for us to have access to this community knife is Victorinox doing the exact same thing.
