For the launch of its latest earbuds, Bose took an unusual marketing approach. Rather than rely on a product feature-heavy consumer electronics playbook, the audio equipment manufacturer positioned the earbuds, which hook around the earlobe in a way akin to ear cuff jewelry, as a classy accessory favored by cultural tastemakers.
“You could make the case that certainly one of the most visible types of fashion is the headphones that you just wear,” said Jim Mollica, global CMO at Bose.
The Ultra Open Earbuds, which play private audio while allowing in outside noises to maintain users aware, were promoted with a variety of influencer and celebrity ambassadors, in addition to through Bose’s first fashion collaboration. Trendy partnerships helped generate buzz before Bose hit the gas on paid media earlier this fall.
Bose CMO Jim Mollica
Permission granted by Bose
The deliberate rollout is a component of Bose’s return to brand constructing under Mollica, who took the reins as the company’s first global marketing chief three years ago after prior stints at brands like Under Armour, Ralph Lauren and The Walt Disney Company. Bose, which is privately held, long relied on word-of-mouth marketing and store experiences, but wound down its retail footprint in 2020 resulting from the consumer shift toward e-commerce.
Marketing Dive recently spoke with Mollica, who was visiting New York for an event with streetwear retailer Kith celebrating the classic Bose 901 speaker, about the value of influencers, challenges facing marketers today and his outlook on artificial intelligence.
The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
MARKETING DIVE: The big product launch this 12 months was Bose’s Ultra Open Ear buds. What marketing levers did you prioritize?
JIM MOLLICA: From a marketing standpoint, what I didn’t want was for this to grow to be a Google Glass. It couldn’t be a gimmicky wearable. How does it grow to be stylish? The very first version was the Kith version that we launched at Paris Fashion Week. From there, we introduced it through a few of our athletes at NBA All-Star Weekend with an interpretation with the same gentleman that creates the championship rings for the NBA. Then we went to Maggi Simpkins, who creates jewelry. She had some amazing bejeweled jewelry. We had everyone from Rihanna to Travis Scott reach out and say, “I would like to get a pair of those.”
It’s introducing it in a really systematic option to culture and to the right cultural influences, and then bringing it out for mass distribution. This product got here out last February but we didn’t launch a dedicated marketing campaign with talent like Tyla for it until the end of September.
There’s the influencer network aspect of it. Where does paid media come into play?
It was necessary for us to place these in the hands of individuals in numerous use cases who had an actual passion for music. We did the same thing then with a click down into digital content creators. The temporary was: “This is how people use the product. What’s your interpretation of it?” We allowed them to do their thing. Not all of it is precisely what I’d do but that’s why we went to them. They know the right way to do it in a thoughtful way that their audience respects.
We are running a TV spot, but the way we did the spot was creating an interesting behind-the-scenes take a look at how the product is definitely utilized by artists. It’s as they’re getting hyped before a performance, whether it’s a industrial shoot or an actual live musical performance. We made sure that we picked the right brand ambassadors for us to signal that we’re a music-obsessed brand. It’s not the biggest stars in the world. It’s the hot and up-and-coming: Don Toliver, Central Cee, Tyla and Lisa. Now, we just have to make more people aware of it. That’s what TV is for.
What are you taking away from this campaign as you construct out Bose’s brand positioning?
The very first thing I did once I joined three years ago was a rough perceptual map of Bose on the back of the napkin. Bose, where it was differentiated, was as the only brand on the market with 60 years of heritage that had only dedicated itself to the singular pursuit of music and sound. All of those other those who we’re competing with are tech corporations. They’re great, huge multinationals that treat music as a side hustle because they make phones, laptops, washing machines and fridges. They have ad networks and TV shows.
My belief was that the product must be outstanding, but the real point of it’s about the emotional experience of music. Is it heightened, is it higher with Bose? That became the positioning for us to lean into with emotion as an alternative of zeros and ones.
What capabilities are you focused on constructing out beyond that emotionally led positioning?
There was a whole transformation to modernize marketing once I got here in. We were going to have to have a look at a model where we moved away from the traditional approach, which was to let the brand stand for what it’s. We needed to take a more proactive, meet-consumers-where-they-are [strategy] across all levels and demographics. We became more focused on creating digital content in a way that was bespoke for platforms. The way we create on TikTok is wildly different from another platform.
Having worked at Disney and Paramount, I learned that creating content, not promoting, was going to be really necessary to earn people’s time and attention. I still strongly imagine in creativity but you should be told by the data, and then you should validate success by the data. Those were all mechanisms where we modernized the infrastructure, even on the martech and ad-tech side of things.
As you’ve tried to steer those changes, what’s a challenge you’ve encountered?
I’ve been lucky enough to be at different levels of transformation in most of the roles that I’ve had for the past 15 years. It’s hard any time you walk into an organization with a lot heritage, a lot brand strength to a specific audience. But it must be an evolution. We were going and introducing the brand to the 18 to 24 12 months olds who didn’t really know Bose. No one’s going to take a seat down and hearken to the product features and functionality [pitch]. We needed to create interest and desire in the brand through media platforms, content creators and brand ambassadors. That’s each the challenge and the fun part.
Quite a lot of legacy brands right away need to reinvent themselves, including for Gen Z, but so many seem risk-averse.
You should catch the right company at the right time. There are other points in my profession where I even have tried to do the very same thing and it didn’t go as well. You need a couple of key allies. The brands which can be really struggling have to appreciate that it’s truly an existential moment. You’re not going to vary the tide. I don’t think it’s realistic to say: “Everything we’ve been doing and all of those audiences which can be currently buying are not any longer relevant.” That dramatic a pivot is very rare. There is a extremely thoughtful, finessed way you can take the DNA out of that existing core brand and rearticulate it to a younger audience.
There was recent McKinsey research about the variety of hats that CMOs are wearing, but in addition a persistent maturity gap. Is that a pressure you see and how do you reply to it?
When I began in the business, it was way more about the CMO being the spiritual brand leader coming up with the creative platform. That platform would present itself mostly in a TV spot and some ancillary things. As the pressures on the role and growth have grow to be more necessary, that creative element has been tested. Just being creative shouldn’t be enough. You have to determine the right way to create exposure and engagement.
Growth hackers that understood showing short-term gains modified a few of the skill sets, and a bunch of hires began happening for digital natives. The truth is, you wish each side of those equations. Where it’s a challenge is that if the CEO gives you the accountability for growth but not the responsibility. That’s where some individuals are right away and that’s hard.
If you might be sophisticated about the way you construct the relationship with the CEO and show proof points, then you might have the reasonable option to earn that responsibility. There’s going to be times where you’re trading off investment dollars for things which have a more immediate payback. If you simply argue brand constructing, you don’t have credibility. You’re saying, “I’m just caring for the upper funnel” and there are some high-level brand effect metrics that you just don’t even see in a loose manner connected to the bottom line.
Do you might have any predictions for 2025?
There’s been plenty of angst around AI. I believe it’s just a brand new tool that we’ll have the option to harness to make our work higher and more resonant. I don’t think it’ll be certain by time, budget, resources or talent in the same way, meaning brand ambassadors and celebrity athletes. That’s going to affect content creators and influencers. There’s going to be an enormous shakeout in that. They’re not going to be as powerful. There’s going to be a shakeout in the creative production and agency businesses. The ones that determine, not only the right way to utilize AI, but the right way to put it to use of their area of interest specialties higher, are going to be the ones which can be going to actually prosper.
The potential shakeout for influencers is interesting given the way you were talking about the earbuds launch. That relied heavily on influencers. Are you planning on experimenting more with AI next 12 months?
One hundred percent. We work with an organization called Automated Creative in England that produces probably 5,000 pieces of content a month. It’s stills, video, product copy and search copy. It’s not a duplicate, paste, go [process]. It provides different springboards for thought, which humans then plus-up.
AI goes to vary content creators, it should put pressure on influencers and probably change some brand ambassador relationships as well. You probably have more access to a few of the people you do work with, where they’re not needed for as much or as long, but you’re still making the most of their brand, their essence, their person.
Artists are at all times going to be necessary. I don’t think AI goes to switch those relationships we have now with people like Central Cee, Don Toliver and Tyla. I believe, in augmenting that connection, it’ll be really powerful.
Read the full article here
