Bose takes shot at Polk

BaggedLancer

Not sure if it is just a local Bose commercial, although they did talk about a local Boston paper, but Bose was talking about how their new 3.1 system eliminates the need for big speakers in the rear with speaker wire running under the carpet.....and guess what they used to demonstrate what you don't need? That's right, POLK.

You could only see them very quickly but im 95% sure they were RTA's.

F1nut

Those that know, know better. It's your job to educate those that don't know.

Strong Bad

Sux to be the people that buy into their (Bose) crap. I think this is good for Polk getting mentioned so prominently in their **** campaign. They must be making Bose sweat alot lately with their kickass products!

You go Polk!

BaggedLancer

Strong Bad wrote:

Sux to be the people that buy into their (Bose) crap. I think this is good for Polk getting mentioned so prominently in their **** campaign. They must be making Bose sweat alot lately with their kickass products!

You go Polk!

They dont actually mention Polk, just picture it.

MacLeod

Day late and a dollar short much there Bose?

The Polk Surround Bar has already ended the need for rear speakers.

PolkWannabie

BaggedLancer wrote:

They dont actually mention Polk, just picture it.

They must be feeling threatened ...

Holydoc

MacLeod wrote:

Day late and a dollar short much there Bose?

The Polk Surround Bar has already ended the need for rear speakers.

True, but the surround bar is not getting the publicity of the Bose 3.1 system. I was over at a friends house and people started talking about wanting a surround sound but without all the speakers. One person mentioned the Bose and immediately everyone there jumped into the conversation exclaiming how they had seen it on TV and was also thinking about getting one. Only one other person besides myself knew about the sound bar, and he was trying to decide between it and the Yamaha one. The PR campaign that Bose utilizes is phenomenal. Out of 10 couples there, nearly everyone had heard of their system and some were seriously considering it. One person, and not his wife, knew about the soundbar.

VR3

90% (if not more) of the market, I would say is Bose.

I might be wrong, but Bose is a house hold name.... in darn near EVERY household.

You will never hear someone say... Bose..what is Bose?

dorokusai

You Polkies should consider it flattering that they chose to use Polk in their advertising media....its not negative at all really. I find it more positive, in that regardless of WHY, its still a Polk speaker represented.

I think Bose is finally starting to feel the impact of other, high quality manufacturers, producing a product that appeals to the common man....without the use of overzealous ads and imaginative marketing concepts.

Regardless of a VERY WELL reviewed product like Surround Bar or the I-Sonic, Polk Audio is really turning up the heat in this industry and they have some friends that feel the same way. You guys haven't seen anything yet.

Let's get it on.

Early B.

At the end of the day it ain't about the best product, it's about who's a better salesman. Bose is simply a marketing machine, whereas Polk has a totally different marketing model. If Polk advertised like Bose, the prices would skyrocket and/or the quality would likely suffer. So it's a good thing that Polk doesn't try to compete head-to-head with Bose.

Refefer

Early B. wrote:

At the end of the day it ain't about the best product, it's about who's a better salesman. Bose is simply a marketing machine, whereas Polk has a totally different marketing model. If Polk advertised like Bose, the prices would skyrocket and/or the quality would likely suffer. So it's a good thing that Polk doesn't try to compete head-to-head with Bose.

That makes you ask, how can you keep your feet in a market of monster advertisement and still get paid?

If bose does one thing right aside from marketing, it's providing pre-made, pre-designed advertisement/demo booths for its systems so that you will always get the most out of their products. When compared to a poorly setup Polk product in a bigbox store, the Bose system *will* most likely sound better.

The only difference is when you get home and hear the bose compared to a properly setup Polk system and realize that the sound has very much shifted away from what sounded like the better system.

And then there's buying as name brand. Not many people know about Polk, but a whole heckuva lot know about Bose. Saying you have Bose speakers is met by people's awe and admiration. Saying you have Polk's, well, who knows about Polk? Now, if they can listen to it, THEN you'll get some awe and admiration, but right now, I hate to say it, the Gold standard for premium audio to Joe Sixpack and the general consumer is BOSE.

Polk65

BaggedLancer wrote:

They dont actually mention Polk, just picture it.

I've always been a glass is 1/2 full person so I view ads like these as double advertising. I ask myself who are they comparing themselves to?

Large numbers of people including myself shop for speakers by our ears. I had splinters the first time I heard Polk speakers. Compare this with shopping for a car. Are you going to buy a volvo because all your friends say they are safe, or do your eyes drift towards a car with a shape and features that you like?

dkg999

Being very familier with the Bose marketing strategy and execution, at least from the direct marketing standpoint, you would be amazed at why the average person buys Bose! They have created a brand image, based on the foundations of Harley-Davidson style brand building. It's what your friends think that matters

Friends don't let friends buy Bose, that's my story

Strong Bad

dorokusai wrote:

You Polkies should consider it flattering that they chose to use Polk in their advertising media....its not negative at all really. I find it more positive, in that regardless of WHY, its still a Polk speaker represented.

I think Bose is finally starting to feel the impact of other, high quality manufacturers, producing a product that appeals to the common man....without the use of overzealous ads and imaginative marketing concepts.

Regardless of a VERY WELL reviewed product like Surround Bar or the I-Sonic, Polk Audio is really turning up the heat in this industry and they have some friends that feel the same way. You guys haven't seen anything yet.

Let's get it on.

Exactely!

Last night I went to a company party and one of the giveaway prizes was a Bose Wave Radio. When it was announced that 2nd place would win this, you heard OOO's and AHHH's from people exclaiming..."WHOA, a Bose radio! WOW...BOSE!"

I rolled my eyes!

I think (IMHO) Polk is going to start using the marketing power of their new parent company to let the world know just who the big dog is!

RuSsMaN

Bose is a marketing giant, sure. Ask yourself what Bose is doing though, that very few if ANY other mainstream, brick and mortar offerings are doing.

They are selling people on sound. They are making people listen. All of their demos, all of their infomercials get people to listen. Once people start listening, and buying on that listening experience - the hi-fi door is opened, where it may have never been opened otherwise.

There might be a handful of consumers that downgrade (what we consider a downgrade), but for most - they are making a little money now, and wow, this little table radio does sound better than my boombox, and it's a lot smaller. Wow, this 3 2 1 system does sound better than my tv speakers.

Believe it or not, Bose is selling sound as much as they are their name. They are getting people to listen, that otherwise might not. I think that's cool, and benefits the industry as a whole, much moreso than it hurting sales numbers for the competetion. Consumers are beginning to listen, and buy on that experience.

Cheers,
Russ

wingnut4772

I had a friend that was insisting on buying BOSE. I tried to convince him not to and even showed him all the negative user reviews that are available on line. He bought it anyway and he loves it.:eek:

Holydoc

Problem is though, Russ, is that normal Joe Blow upgrades his sound system as much as he upgrades his washing machine. If you do not snag them up right away, your chance of getting their business is almost nil. Unfortunately most people are also "lazy", for lack of a better word, and thus when it is time to replace their old system, they will usually go with the brand they know.

Sure it gets them to listen, but only to listen to how Bose compares to built-in source speakers. It does not get them to listen for what is the best sound they can get.

pblanc

I rather admire Bose. I think they have promoted some brilliant design concepts such as the decent, compact portable system and the microsatellite multispeaker system. Granted, others have now imitated and improved on their concepts and provide better value, but many people value form over function and want what they consider to be "decent" sound in a small form-factor, unobtrusive package. If they buy Bose and enjoy listening to it, as far as I am concerned, they got their money's worth. A lot of folks out there don't put a high enough priority on listening to make it worth their time to "listen for the best sound they can get". I really don't consider them inferior or disadvantaged for it.

Years ago, I wanted to install a surround system in a large open "great room" and my wife would not tolerate floor standing or stand mounted speakers as there was little wall space available. I got a Bose Acoustimass system, mounted the speakers on small brackets from the ceiling, and ran the wiring through the attic. It was so unobtrusive as to be all but invisible for a 5.1 speaker set up. I still have that system and use it in my office as computer speakers. My office used to be a sun porch, and has windows on three sides. The speakers have to be mounted on brackets that mount to wood panels about 4 inches wide. The little satellites fit perfectly. Maybe if I was buying such a system now, I would go with Orb, or some such, but at the time what I needed was available at Sears and discounted, as Bose rarely is. And to tell you the truth, that system has given me absolutely no trouble all these years. The "bass" module was sitting on the floor of my office, which has been flooded with several inches of water multiple times in the last year and apart from some minor cosmetic damage to the vinyl veener, the unit did not sustain any damage at all (or maybe it sustained severe functional damage, but it just doesn't sound any different??).

MacLeod

I think Russ is right.

The only real problem I have with Bose is their price. I think they make pretty good speakers and wouldnt mind having them. Its just that for the money you could do a whole lot better. But other then that, they do sound pretty good and so theyre not selling snake oil which does open more people eyes to the hi fi world.

People that dont know any better will want a good system so they go get Bose because thats what everybody says is the best. They get it and like the good sound and then maybe start wondering what else is out there and start shopping around.

dkg999

Russ is correct on the fact that they are getting the average non-audio hobby person to listen and hear better sound. I have the advantage of being able to see some of the survey data and the purchase behavior data, and it very much the average person joining the Bose club, because an influencer in their circle of acquaintences has already joined. It's a time tested marketing strategy that once implemented well, keeps paying back in sales. And once you have spent all that money on the Bose system, you are sure going to want to convince all your friends how great it is, and you become their best marketing tool. I have a lot of respect for the Bose strategy.

Early B.

Harley Davidson does not sell motorcycles -- they sell a lifestyle. Bose is no different. Bose sells an image, not sound. The sound sucks and they can't compete with folks like Polk on sound. Polk sells speakers, not an image. That's the difference.

Hell, Bose even has a product called, "Lifestyle."



P.S. -- I'm not trying to bash Bose about their sucky sound. I've heard one of their 5.1 systems and it was very impressive, just too damn pricey. It takes a lot of coin to live the Bose Lifestyle.

george daniel

Early B. wrote:

Harley Davidson does not sell motorcycles -- they sell a lifestyle. Bose is no different. Bose sells an image, not sound. The sound sucks and they can't compete with folks like Polk on sound. Polk sells speakers, not an image. That's the difference.

Hell, Bose even has a product called, "Lifestyle."



P.S. -- I'm not trying to bash Bose about their sucky sound. I've heard one of their 5.1 systems and it was very impressive, just too damn pricey. It takes a lot of coin to live the Bose Lifestyle.

Bada Bing

DarqueKnight

Bose and Polk shouldn't even be spoken in the same sentence.;) They are two radically different companies serving different segments of the audio market. Both do an excellent job at what they do.

Polk is managed and staffed by people, many of whom are audio and music enthusiasts, who value moderate to high audio performance at "reasonable" prices.

Bose is managed and staffed by people, many of whom are marketing and sales people, who value "adequate" audio performance at high prices. Their customers make a "leap of faith" and assume that, if the price is high, the quality must be equally high. There is a widely held misconception that Bose customers will "see the light" provided they are educated about good sound. This is true of those few Bose customers who have some genuine interest in good sound. However, for the majority of Bose's clientele, audio systems are just another household appliance - as long as it is working, it is not given a second thought.

dkg999

It takes a lot of coin to live the Harley-Davidson lifestyle too Maybe I can get a Bose sound system for the bike :rolleyes:

John in MA

I for one don't agree with Russ. Bose isn't selling sound, or asking people to find the best sound, they're selling the image of good sound and telling people Bose is the only way to go.

For whatever reason I rarely see anyone for whom Bose opened the door, other than traditional "big speaker" folks who bought 501s or 901s years ago. I've never heard "I bought a Waveradio, became interested in sound, then realized how much it sucked and bought a pair of SDAs." I see three categories of person:

1. The average human who doesn't own Bose, but has it hammered into them that nothing is better. They aspire to Bose, and they've bought into the image to the point where they'd never dream of buying something from a "no-name" company like B&W or Magnapan.

2. The average human who acheived their dreams and bought Bose. These folks go through life believing that they reached the top of the mountain (no pun intended) and come hell or high water nothing will convince them otherwise. Either they can't hear, or they value the image more than the sound, or they realize they just spent $600 on a clock radio for no particular reason.

3. The non-average people who started with an interest in getting sound rather than room decoration. They've probably heard Bose and weren't impressed, or realize that there are many other options out there.

There's a lot of overpriced stuff out there, so Bose prices alone don't seem so crazy. My problem with them is the advertising that says it costs that much for a good reason, and that you can't do any better. Their little collection of gimmicks will never sound best, and never replace real hi-fi systems.

pblanc

Well, basically advertising is the art of lying.

MSALLA

It always shocks me to listen to people (usually guys) at parties talk about there new sound system they bought. " Ya, it's Bose. Top of the line. You know I wanted the best." They are marketed twords upper middle class people with contemporary tastes in decorating. These are people who see a need in there life and want "the best" but are not hobbiest. They want something that sounds good when they watch a movie, but are not audiofiles. They feel no different twords the sound system then they do when buying say cooking knives.
I also find that they are happy with their buy, and thats all that counts.

BaggedLancer

MSALLA wrote:

It always shocks me to listen to people (usually guys) at parties talk about there new sound system they bought. " Ya, it's Bose. Top of the line. You know I wanted the best." They are marketed twords upper middle class people with contemporary tastes in decorating. These are people who see a need in there life and want "the best" but are not hobbiest. They want something that sounds good when they watch a movie, but are not audiofiles. They feel no different twords the sound system then they do when buying say cooking knives.
I also find that they are happy with their buy, and thats all that counts.

It's the "mine is bigger than yours" convo!:rolleyes:

John in MA

I think there's an image component to the whole Bose deal that goes beyond decorating. They don't look stylish, merely modern.

Bang & Olufsen goes all-out on the cosmetic design angle. They're what you want if you really want to impress the masses. And unlike Bose they're actually well-made and sound good. Still way overpriced, though.