Parker became privately-held in the 1980s, and the Gillette Company took the company over in 1993. Eventually the pen brand landed in the portfolio of Sanford in 2000, alongside Waterman and Rotring.

The warm color palette, based on wood and tobacco tones, provides the right connotations for an upscale product. Not all Parkers are expensive writing devices, but the aficionados that would surf the site are probably seeking to buy or repair high end products. In a competitive environment, the positioning seems perfectly consistent.

What is not as clear are the points of differentiation with sister brand Waterman, another highly respected provider of fine fountain pens. Even at the point of purchase in retail outlets, the brochures and promotions of both Parker and Waterman look and feel exactly the same, in terms of size, paper quality and finish.

With all its tiny imperfections, the Parker website unexpectedly reminds one of a family business rather than an international company. The website is a glossy online brochure, offering the opportunity to browse the collection of pens or to access information on the maintenance and warranty of the products.

Besides promoting its intrinsic beauty, the site is also a customer-service medium. Most Parker pens benefit indeed from an old-fashioned lifetime warranty. At the time of writing this review, a call to Parker's hotline was fast and efficient, with the representative promptly offering to send us a pre-addressing pouch to return a fountain pen for repair. In a time where marketing cynicism is widespread, Parker's warranty questionnaire is remarkably simple and truly refreshing. What’s more, the customer service experience perfectly reinforces the expectations set by the website.

Overall, Parker's marketing is not a case study of perfection. There is undoubtedly some unrealized potential. However, the brand owners clearly understand the brand positioning and manage it accordingly. There is a remarkable consistency between the product, the site and the service.