Badges and desirability,sell items,not specs and price.The car industry is a prime example,loads of people buy expensive,basic spec bmws over a lower priced higher spec competitor,solely for the badge and image.I see more range rovers on the roads than I ever did,and they are not the best reliability wise and are expensive.
I have seen fully loaded cheap brand tvs with worse pictures than b&o dated spec tvs.I have sat on £6000 sofas that are not as comfortable as a £2000 sofa.Why do we choose them?,not the price, but we are suckered into the marketing,if its expensive, and someone famous or rich has it,it surely must be better.
I admit back in the day,it was easy for b&o to stand out with crt tvs,as most competitors looked the same,and B&o were unique,not just picture and sound,but rotating stand,electronic curtains,built in processors etc the avant especially.Also most cd players were all black boxes,were as beosounds were like a piece of art.
These days its harder for b&o to seperate its self from the crowd,as the platforms to do so have changed,tvs are thinner and are changing at a lightning rate,and its hard for b&o to keep up,technology and designwise.Audio systems are computer based now,and are mostly controlled with tablets etc,so nothing really for b&o to design and put on display.
Its not that B&o have slowed down or lost the plot,its just that in this day of age the competitors are catching up.Beolabs on the other hand is something b&o should concentrate heavily on,you just need to look at the residuals on b&o speakers over the tvs and sound systems.also most home cinema in a box systems over the years have copied beolab 6000s with their plastic looking pillars.
I am not bothered if b&o make it easier to mix and match with other makes,I bought my link system in the first place,as it gelled together,made the technology work for me,looked good and was a breeze to use with one remote.
B&o should concentrate on what they are good at,good sound,good picture,individual design,good materials,and ease of use,and charge what they want for it.B&O has never been a company that follows suit,or embraces technology early on,the japanese do that.with cars also.They have been a brand for the domestic market who want good looks build quality and technology that is easy to use and will not bamboozle.
Nissan gtr are a sophisticated technical masterpeice of a car,which are loaded with gadgets and are extremely fast and well priced,but people still buy astons and bentley etc,which are more expensive simpler technology,but have the brand and heritage,people buy into that,and they chrarge what they want for it.Vertu sell phones at ££££££££ and are not as good as a iphone but they still sell.We are having a recession,but I still see loads of money out their being spent,especially luxury brands.
B&o please just produce items that,if we cant afford now,we can at least aspire to own.Thats what desirabilty is about.There is a certain car I cannot afford to buy just now, but have set myself a goal to have one on my drive someday.Why?because I desire it so badly,its looks,exclusivity, and last of all, price.Just the same with the b&o I bought,the looks in the shop,the touch of the items,it made me buy there and then,or if I walked out I would set myself a goal to work harder and be back for it.Thats how desirable b&o was then.