Beats Electronics is the brainchild of musician Dr. Dre and music executive Jimmy Iovine and was launched in Fall of 2008.
That duo capitalized on a market that was devoid of any real front runner and immediately began producing headphones and speakers.
Initially they were owned by Monster Cables, Inc and even for a time by Taiwanese smartphone developer, HTC.
However, in 2014, the company was acquired by Apple for $3 billion in a cash and stock deal that is the largest acquisition in Apple history.
The thing that Beats does that seems so simple, is marry a music lover with his or her own music in a way that they can still express themselves outwardly.
Whether you are punk-rock kid from the grunge scene in Seattle or a hip-hop wannabe from Brooklyn, Beats work for you.
Where they have really cornered the market, however, is with professional athletes. To prepare for a long grinding season or to find that spot mentally to play the upcoming game, athletes often times revert to music to get them into that "zone." Beats has used that opportunity perfectly as their marketing campaigns continue to show athletes and their quest for not only greatness but their search for that pregame zone.
Superheroes always show up. Cam Newton #KeepPounding
Posted by Beats by Dre on Sunday, October 18, 2015
Facebook:
Amazingly, over 8 million people like Beats by Dre on facebook! And the interaction is fantastic among their followers and the social media managers who oversee the site. For instance, a video they posted on their page about a month ago has been viewed more than 6 million times. That video, which is a little more than three minutes long, has more than 18,000 shares.The way to defend a legacy is to start again each day. Watch Richie McCaw in #TheGameStartsHere.
Posted by Beats by Dre on Saturday, September 19, 2015
With close to a million followers, Beats by Dre is an extremely popular Twitter handle and its pretty active. They are posting four times a day like clockwork and it is a mix of topics. From promoting a product launch to incredible images of individuals using beats by dre in a variety of ways, they use the hastags and twitter handles effectively to get the maximum amount of reach.
— Beats By Dre (@beatsbydre) October 17, 2015
Beats by Dre actually takes a que from Li and Bernoff by "listening to the groundswell" on their Twitter account. Last week the world was going crazy for the Chicago Cubs and their hope that this would be the year they win the World Series. Beats by Dre wasted no time jumping into the fray with a perfectly timed tweet:
One win away from moving on. The @Cubs are ready to close it out tonight. pic.twitter.com/fdP1ISCZEM
— Beats By Dre (@beatsbydre) October 13, 2015
Instagram:This such a powerful medium and Beats by Dre knows this and takes full advantage with the intense and intimate photos they share with their more than two million followers. Regardless of the platform, their themes stay the same - athletes looking for that zone and Beats by Dre's willingness to show that their products are a part of everyday life.
The specific area of the company that I have targeted is the New Beats Pill - a portable wireless speaker that has - similar to their headphones - helped change the way people listen to music. It is featured prominently on all their social media platforms and on their website.
The Recall:It was determined that the Pill XL might be a fire hazard and it was decided by Apple and Beats to do a recall. As we have seen in the past, with companies like Volkswagen, not being up front can be
devastating to your brand. Beats and Apple incorporated Apple support to assist with recall questions and issues in addition to staying engaged on all of their social media platforms.
Recalls and returns are a true test to a companies commitment to their customer base and companies like LL Bean have thrived on that commitment since they were founded. Beats and Apple are trying to provide that same kind of customer loyalty as can be seen in this Facebook interaction from October 7.
Pill Facebook:
Introducing Beats Pill+ We dare you to turn it on and hear for yourself. #NewBeatsPill For more info & to sign up to get notified when released go to beats.is/NewBeatsPill
Posted by Beats by Dre on Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Pill Instagram:
Pill Twitter:
Keep it simple.
Play, pause, skip tracks, and control your phone calls with a touch of the ‘b’. #NewBeatsPill pic.twitter.com/LpoEbQ8kmR
— Beats By Dre (@beatsbydre) October 16, 2015
Google Trends:
What Google Trends shows is that when the Pill launched, activity spiked really high as the word-of-mouth spread about the Pill's performance. Even still, more than a week after its launch they chatter has stayed around more than it did previously.
Social Mention:
The image on the left is for last week and the image on the right is for the last month. As you can see, the last doesn't quite have the same reach or strength as last week and that could partly be due to the launch being so far away. Also, the negative comments are there and can't be ignored. The first version of the Pill is going through a massive recall for a fire hazard but even still, I thought this report would include more negative comments.
Conclusion:
They are almost as recognizable as the white earbuds that helped define a generation nearly a decade ago. Beats headphones have taken over as the primary form of personalized music listening by marrying not only the world of music but by incorporating celebrities and their music routines as they go about their everyday life. And now their portable music player is attempting to do the same.
However, I would like to see the following when it comes to the Pill: Truly identify a target audience. At nearly $300 dollars, clearly the teenager and college student aren't who they are focusing on with this product unlike the headphones. When you do that, you take away a huge population of music listeners. Is it the hip urban millennial who wants a minimalist feel? Whoever they are, I would like to see the same kind of campaign that developed with the headphones to come with the Pill.
No comments:
Post a Comment