Introduction Bowers and Wilkins (B&W), is a British company - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Introduction Bowers and Wilkins (B&W), is a British company that produces audio equipment that was founded by John Bowers in 1966 in Worthing, South Sussex, England. Bower and Wilkins is currently part of the B&W Group Ltd.. The group
Bowers and Wilkins (B&W), is a British company that produces audio equipment that was founded by John Bowers in 1966 in Worthing, South Sussex, England. Bower and Wilkins is currently part of the B&W Group Ltd.. The group also includes Rotel and Classé which are companies that produce high-end hi-fi audio components.
Bower and Wilkins first began as a radio and electronics shop in
and Roy Wilkins who met while serving in the Royal Corps of Signal.
Bowers started a seperate business in 1966, B&W Loudspeaker Ltd., the same year the first Bowers & Wilkins loudspeaker, P1, was developed and sold. Bowers and Wilkins first international authorised dealer was Audioscript, which introduced Domestic Monitor 1 and Domestic Monitor 3.
Throughout the years, extensive research were done to produce new products, and older products were improved. In 2005, Bowers and Wilkins introduced diamond dome tweeters in the 800D range of speakers. This significant change brought Bowers and Wilkins the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation.
Bowers & Wilkins is well known for its production and sale of hand-made and hand-assembled hi-fi speakers made with luxury, high quality components and there are currently hundreds of retailers worldwide, distributing their products.
Based on a survey conducted on 15 people, we found that most of Bowers and Wilkins customers are audiophiles, ranging from ages between 18 and 29. They are generally male, 66.7%, and are usually willing to fork out more than $300, when purchasing audio equipment.
100% 86.7%
R P C HH RK H
66.7% 46.7% 33.3% 33.3%
Due to the changing times, most of them prefer listening music with headphones. For those who uses B&W speakers, usually, they will have a dedicated listening room. Furthermore, their customers commonly listen to Pop, Hip Hop, Rap, Classical and Rock music.
Superb Quality Customers’ Precedence
MARKETING STRATEGY
Bowers and Wilkins believes firmly in designing the best speaker with the perfect sound quality and build. With years spent on research and development of materials, Bowers and Wilkins managed to produce high fidelity equipment. Unlike many other sound manufacturers, Bowers and Wilkins uses premium materials such as diamonds, Kevlar and Continuum for their
and reduces the likeliness to be damaged but it improves the audio quality as well.
Material
Bowers and Wilkins have been using Kevlar since 1976 for their cones as the effective radiating area is able to gradually decrease the frequency.
Research
Bowers and Wilkins spent 42 years researching and producing their famous 801 speaker.
Brand Comparison
The longest time that Bang & Olufsen spent on research and development, was with their five-year plan that started in 2011.
Being a global leader in sound, Bowers & Wilkins understands the importance of customers to their brand image. Hence, they chose to prioritise their customers’ comfort and experience. For their products, especially their headphones, they choose materials such as leather and aluminium as they are lightweight, durable and fitting, making it comfortable for long usage.
They are known for their professional and efficient customer service. For instance, the Singapore’s sales team was accredited a member of the Singapore Service Star and was featured as one of the “Best of the Singapore Service Star 2012”.
Speakers: $500-24 000 Headphones: $150-900 Accessories: $15-80
Promotion Placement Price Product
Speakers Headphones Accessories Social Media Advertisements Musician Endorsements Collaborations Showrooms In-House Experience
MARKETING STRATEGY
Unlike other manufacturers, Bower and Wilkins does not produce many products and uses uncommon materials, such as diamonds and Kevlar, for their exquisite speakers. A perfect example of this being the Nautilus speaker, which is currently one of Bower and Wilkins flagship product. For instance, despite having lesser products than Bang & Olufsen (B&O), Bowers and Wilkins have not been losing out. Based on research, they always stuck by their traditions of designing speakers for homes, whereas B&O is known for their unorthodox methods of designing their products. Hence, Bowers and Wilkins is traditional and meticulous and stands out from the crowd with their material choices and classic design.
Headphones
Speakers
MARKETING STRATEGY
To differentiate itself, Bowers & Wilkins focuses
notch equipment for audiophiles. Based on reviews, many have not complained about the prices of the products sold by the company due to the sound quality it produces. Although Bowers and Wilkins is a more luxurious brand with hefty price tags attached to their products, people are willing to spend the sum of money for its clear and crisp quality.
MARKETING STRATEGY
Bowers and Wilkins owns multiple social media pages and updates them frequently. Knowing the importance of social media, they are switching up their promotional methods, to stay relevant to the younger generation. With 1.9k posts with a following of 77.9k, they upload photos daily, photos such as their products in a home setting, posts from their customers’ Instragram and quotes by musicians about their products.
MARKETING STRATEGY
Bowers and Wilkins owns multiple social media pages and updates them frequently. Knowing the importance of social media, they are switching up their promotional methods, to stay relevant to the younger generation. With an average monthly views of 21.1k, they uploaded 201 videos on their channel. Some being celebrities experiencing their products, feedback from audiophiles and the making of their products.
PROMOTION Bowers and Wilkins produces cinematic videos which showcases the product and unique features. An example would be the most recent “PX Features” video released
material choice and unique selling points of the product. The Zeppelin campaign shows how much they are willing to spend on promotion. Usually brands such as Bose do not promote their products with such intensity. This shows that Bowers and Wilkins takes marketing seriously as they are willing to invest in such a huge campaign.
PROMOTION Bowers and Wilkins are portrays themselves as a brand for everyone, regardless of the music genre that they listen to, and era of music they belong to. Many can still enjoy the crisp and sharp sound quality that their products has.
Hollie Stephenson Elvis Costello Emeli Sande
Aged 19, Hollie is a self-taught singer and songwriter from London. She usually produces pop genre music. A English musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Elvis was actively producing pop and rock music during the 1980s. Winning the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist, she writes songs that are R&B, soul and gospel.
Bowers and Wilkins have worked with many other prestigious companies and produced products with them.
Bowers and Wilkins partnered with Burberry and produced T7 Gold Edition in 2016. Videos of live music sessions with home-grown musicians were also recorded and uploaded to their YouTube channel.
Volvo, BMW, Maserati and McLaren are some automotive companies that have worked with Bowers and Wilkins for their in-car speakers.
PROMOTION
For instance, in 2012 they collaborated with Maserati, designing car speakers for 3
speaker, a pair of headphones, and
Hence, collaborations with these high-end companies shows that Bowers and Wilkins are one of the better sound manufacturers as they are given the opportunity to work with such elite companies.
Comparing to Sony, who started 20 years before B&W, one of their biggest collaborations done was with Samsung. Sony Corporations is a mass marketing company, and to make their prices affordable to the public, they cannot afford to splurge on their products. Hence, Bowers and Wilkins takes pride in their products by collaborating and producing high quality products, regardless of the price.
MARKETING STRATEGY
One of the showrooms of Bowers and Wilkins is located in Millenia Walk. Millenia Walk is a retail haven for the discerning shoppers who appreciate inspirational lifestyle products and quality craftsmanship. The mall consists of designer label shops, homeware boutiques and high fashion brands, such as Atlas Experience Audio Visual Boutique, Rossi and Grafunkt. The placement of the showroom enables an increase in the number of walk-in customers for their shops as people in the mall are already interested in similar brands and products.
Placement
This may not be a Bowers and Wilkins exclusive experience, however, this definitely helps in promoting their products as it shows that they are a transparent company and are willing to allow customers to try out products before purchasing. They also show you the best placements so that customers can get the best out of their speakers.
MILLENIA WALK #01-108 http://www.bowers-wilkins.com +65 6297 5665