[allenf]

Bose are a household name in the UK, just like Bang & Olufsen, Sony, Panasonic, LG, Philips, <insert your brand here>, etc.
I guess it's because their systems are marketed as a complete solution with a lifestyle choice angle thrown in.
Note that Meridian and Cyrus have engaged in the above in ABC/123-pitched mags/supplements.
You know, I don't think I have ever seen an ad for a hi-fi separate component outside of the specialist press, with the exception of Bose phones, which have become the "defacto" standard for frequent flyers and are known to the general public by word-of-mouth osmosis. This is very effective marketing - the products sell themselves.

 

[Illah]

Why is the ad budget for bubble gum and shampoo significantly higher than the budget for advertising luxury goods? Because advertising to mass audiences is the only way to build enough of a base to make bubble gum and shampoo successful. Luxury goods don't need that, and depending on the brand ads can even cheapen the image of the product by making it seem 'common'. That's why Sony advertises it's cheap crap to death and not it's Qualia series. Also the cost of advertising doesn't balance out because even if the ads made Qualia seem appealing, very few people could actually afford it once they found out about the price.

People aren't really sold on the quality of products as much as you think. What differentiates one brand from another is the brand experience and social currency they carry. iPods are 'cool', the Creative Zen player is not. Technically they are almost the exact same product and do the exact same thing, but the iPod carries a huge social currency (cool factor) and offers up a brand experience that makes people want to have it. Those commercials with hipsters casually enjoying their iPod makes every non-hipster feel, at least on some level, that the iPod will take them a step closer to that ideal.

--Illah

 

[gratefulshrink]

I tried posting this earlier, but the site has been so buggy lately!

Anyway, I had started a somewhat similar thread on this a while back: http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showt...rketing+missed

 

[Edwood]

Because Bose's real motto is:

Better Sound Through Marketing.

-Ed

 

[Aman]

Well, I have always had a problem with high-end audio manufacturers not advertising properly.

Instead of getting their products heard, they are advertising in Stereophile and The Absolute Sound. These mags are flooded with pages and pages of advertisements, all of them offering the same quality, performance, prices, and etc. Retailers do well advertising like this - but audiophiles who read these magazines will not be very inspired to buy $10k speakers from a little advertisement in the back of the magazine issue. Instead, these audiophiles will read reviews and listen to products before blowing a lot of cash on them.

Bose has advertised two of their products - their Wave Radio and their Noise Cancelling headphones. Both products have much better solutions for a cheaper price from alternative, lesser-known companies. It may be unknown to many of us here, but the consumers of America and beyond still do have a passion and appreciation for high-fidelity audio. As the children of the sixties enter retirement, there will be more and more purchases of high-end audio products, and these every-day men and women from the golden age of hi-fi aren't going to be looking in magazines. Instead, they will be watching FOX News and the Discovery channel (two prime places Bose sells at). Some people simply don't know there are better options out there, and I'd reckon that many of those individuals would pay MORE than what Bose charges.

In this case, as everybody says, it's ALL about the marketing. If these companies were smart, they'd pull their advertisement deals away from corrupt audio periodicals and place them in locations where the normal population will be able to access them. The majority of 'audiophiles' that will buy a piece from a well-received high-fidelity audio company will listen to the product first, read reviews, hear it from a friend or audiophile community, or even all of the above, before buying a piece. The Average Joe may not, and this is where effective advertising should be being located - where they can be seen by a LARGE QUANTITY of people! Audiophiles, the core audience of such magazines, are seldom fueled by advertisements to buy a certain product.

 

[granodemostasa]

I agree with the idea on the other thrend that it does cost alot to advertise. however these companies seem to be in a competition for shelf space as opposed to ad space. Or at least they are trying to make it easier for people to find their product; example i have in mind is the Senn PX100 which now sells on the apple website, i'm pretty sure sennheiser lobbied hard to get on there-where it sells on equal footing with bose headphones-both can be reviewed and compared right there. Personally i never have thought of sennhesier as small, but i grew up around microphones and already associated them with professional level products; i'm sure if someone had recomended "grado" i woud have brushed it off, having never heard of that name.

 

[The Actual]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beach123456 I have seen some advertisements for headphones, though, I have seen Shure and Ety ads and I think I saw a Koss ad somewhere...

Sometime last month Shure put a bunch of banner adds on Pitchfork. Haven't seen any recently though.