Quote:
Originally Posted by loki
definitely, i've been reading more than a few "i'll never buy another oliva cigar ever" posts. now is that internet dick swinging, maybe, but i'm sure that more than a few actually mean it. before this oliva was just another small cigar maker now, to some, they're the big bad corporation trying to stop a man from earning a living. There will be blowback from this and it's silly to think there won't be
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Oliva isn't getting any less popular, they aren't turning out worse product and they certainly aren't on the decline. Will some people undoubtedly stay away from them over this? Maybe, but I doubt that the allegiance to Sam runs that deep. Would there be such an uproar if a sales rep for Oliva had left under bad terms and was trying to go to a different company?
If Sam has to take 5 years off, I have a feeling many will forget who he even is. He was never his own brand, but rather the face of Oliva's lines. Their marketing department chose wisely when they picked the 'rockstar' look and started the NUB Live tour (which was copied by other companies).
Will he see success from his 'own' brand (to be marketed by Torano)? That is yet to be seen, but undoubtedly he wants to capitalize on the momentum created for him by Oliva and the longer he has to wait the tougher it may be.
Again, if the split from Oliva had been amicable we might not be even discussing this. Something must have occured on one side or the other that the relationship between company and (ex-)employee must have been strained when he left/was asked to leave.
