Bang & Olufsen will present new corporate strategy on the 17th of august.
http://www.bang-olufsen.com/press-conference-17-8-11
Speculation?
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Bang & Olufsen will present new corporate strategy on the 17th of august.
18 replies
All new products to have an "I" infront of them👍
All new products to have an "I" infront of them👍
i+1 = j ?
i+B+0 = k ?
jGram 5005
kLab 5
😂
BS8 bracket for Triumph motorcycles.
B&O/ Triumph branded crash helmets with integral sound systems.
All new products to have an "I" infront of them👍
Capitulation to Apple.
Introduction of PIN protection to BV10, and strategy to market all B&O as riot proof (with a 6 month custody voucher with every product).
More seriously, if the market is shrinking I wouldn't be surprised if there was a change in strategy regarding the stand-alone shop model and also a move to lower selling price (but still high margin) products, maybe with a more integrated marketing approach with Apple for the lower cost Apple related products.
Graham
I hope it is not an EXIT strategy 😡
Bang & Olufsen will present new corporate strategy on the 17th of august.
http://www.bang-olufsen.com/press-conference-17-8-11
Speculation?
My bet is:
- More "intro level products" to attract younger crowds to the brand (Beosound 8 proved succesful)
- More cooperation with hotel and car industry. Will expose the brand to a wider audience.
- Maybe more upgrade options on Beosund 5 type of products, so that the nice (expensive) package can follow the development of technology that is moving so rapidly.
- Likely to drop CD based players. Maybe (I hope) keeping Beosound 9000 as an icon.
- Focus even more on TV:s. (wider pricerange, entry level products, more different designs)
Location: Sweden
My B&O Icons:
My bet is:
- More "intro level products" to attract younger crowds to the brand (Beosound 8 proved succesful)
I think this is essential. The guy who works for me is 27, is interested in a set of B&O speakers, but won't set foot in the current stores. They are a bit overwhelming for people on an average income. People who could buy the odd B&O product here and there, but don't really feel welcome in the store(s) - they feel that you need to be very rich to walk in to a B&O store and look the part. Rubbish.
But that's the perception and the traditional B&O customers are, frankly, getting older and older. It's generally an audience of 40+ year olds. They need to widen this out, get a younger generation in to the brand and work on a strategy from there.
- Focus even more on TV:s. (wider pricerange, entry level products, more different designs)
I disagree, slightly. Why? Simply as the B&O TVs are not cost competitive and the gap is getting wider. The BV10 was meant to be a TV for the average purchaser, but the BV10-46 is £9000. Whereas other TV manufacturers have a couple of hundred pounds difference between their 40" and 46", B&O have thousands of pounds between their 40" and 46" TVs!
I do wonder how they are going to change this around. How would you price up an entry level B&O 46" TV when the BV10 is £9000? If it was, say, £4000, what would they remove to bring down the price? Ok they could use plastic, but then you start to lose some of the magic of the brand. It's a dilemma.
I agree with many of the sentiments - I am sure we will see development of the entry level product so that shops can attract business and have regular sales. I would guess that the TV range will broaden still further and there is of course the new link system which will allow integration with other make products. I think they will be more inclusive of Apple but will continue to support Windows devices in particular. Apple is fine but has limitations that are not found in Android and Windows.
My B&O Icons:
I think this is essential. The guy who works for me is 27, is interested in a set of B&O speakers, but won't set foot in the current stores. They are a bit overwhelming for people on an average income. People who could buy the odd B&O product here and there, but don't really feel welcome in the store(s) - they feel that you need to be very rich to walk in to a B&O store and look the part. Rubbish.
I felt exactly the same about walking into B&O stores as a person in my early 20s on an average income. After working for B&O I realised there was no need to feel like this and the sales people in the stores were no different to me in terms of income etc! I still think this is a problem for alot of people however.
Getting the working early 20s-30s audience through the door is what B&O needs to work on. Increasing the desireability of the brand to young people is the key to success in my opinion, and carefully designed and marketed entry level products definitely need to be high on the priority list.
The televisions, although amazing, cost alot to buy and for most people I would say it is difficult to justify this. Hifi systems and speakers have a better perceived value for money and in my experience of sales and installation for Bang & Olufsen, customers found better value in the audio products.
During my time at Bang & Olufsen, customers who were not millionaires were generally wealthy retired people who have stuck with B&O since the 60s/70s. Very little turnover was attributed to the younger generation/average income customers and this to me is something that really needs to be improved on.
We will wait and see what the Corporate Strategy says I guess!
Definitely interested in these entry level products, being a young person and all!
I have never felt the need to dress up in order to browse my B&O shop. I walk in with my cargo shorts, sneakers and striped t-shirt and get outstanding service!
EDIT: BTW, maybe in 20 years when I can afford a BeoVision they will have come to their senses and brought back the 9!
Location: San Francisco
I'm an automotive audio and acoustic engineer. I design loudspeakers and full sound systems for new automobiles. I also dabble with studio, consumer and pro audio projects from time to time.
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