ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
The FIRST quarter FY 2013/2014 report is published, from the Bang & Olufsen Interim Report published 2nd October 2013:
HIGHLIGHTS•Strategic transformation efforts are beginning to show results
•Revenue declined by six per cent in the first quarter – a lower rate of decline than in the previous two quarters
•As expected Automotive (+13 per cent) and B&O PLAY (+19 per cent) continued to show strong growth, while AV (-18 per cent) continued to decline driven by tough market conditions and network restructuring – primarily in Europe
•BRIC grew by 28 per cent driven primarily by Bang & Olufsen’s own stores in China
•Expectations for the 2013/14 financial year are unchanged
•Launch of a new and innovative wireless speaker platform at CEDIA
See the Report here:http://www.bang-olufsen.com/~/media/Files/PDF/Investors/Presentations/BO_Q_1314_webcast.pdf
WiSA Association weblinkhttp://www.wisaassociation.org/
Regards, Robert
"Wireless transmitters for legacy TV's"
Are B&O getting the message at last that they need to introduce modules to keep older models up to date, and that that could bring more revenues than relying on customers dumping old models for new?
Graham
Hi vikinger,
B&O has 'gotten the message' long ago.
Just think of the ML/CL-converter or the recent NL/ML-converter.
Or the possibility to upgrade older BV's with an HD-tuner......
Which other company would put so much effort in making older products work with newer.
Mostly the answer would be 'buy new' - 'throw the old things away'.
Exactly this is what we/I like about Bang & Olufsen, and am willing to pay more for.
Greetings MM
There is a tv - and there is a BV
Millemissen: Hi vikinger, B&O has 'gotten the message' long ago. Just think of the ML/CL-converter or the recent NL/ML-converter. Or the possibility to upgrade older BV's with an HD-tuner...... Which other company would put so much effort in making older products work with newer. Mostly the answer would be 'buy new' - 'throw the old things away'. Exactly this is what we/I like about Bang & Olufsen, and am willing to pay more for. Greetings MM
Spot ON. The upgrades for older models is why is still have B&O.
I have a long memory. My B&O systems in use span 45 years. From my perspective B&O have only just got the message.
-multimedia Robert-: Millemissen: Hi vikinger, B&O has 'gotten the message' long ago. Just think of the ML/CL-converter or the recent NL/ML-converter. Or the possibility to upgrade older BV's with an HD-tuner...... Which other company would put so much effort in making older products work with newer. Mostly the answer would be 'buy new' - 'throw the old things away'. Exactly this is what we/I like about Bang & Olufsen, and am willing to pay more for. Greetings MM Spot ON. The upgrades for older models is why is still have B&O.
Totally agree no brand looks after existing customers better that B&O.
Well... Looking once again at that report, B&O could start putting emphasis on it's overwhelming biggest customer EUROPE!
Why O' why do so much time and effort need to be spend on China and Asia, since it's a very small market?!
Sure spend time on China when the "home" market is strong and doing well. You have IMO your core market bleeding partly as you are seeking new markets on the other side of the world!
B&O are still loosing money!
"Effects are starting to show?" I'm not so sure. Let's see what the third quarter looks like, once christmas is over. America are in big problems right now. Asia is slowing.
B&O, it's time for another CEO, and another roadmap.
Too long to list....
bayerische: B&O, it's time for another CEO, and another roadmap.
I still think Tue Mantoni has to be given more time personally. I think for any CEO to really stamp his mark on a company and take ideas from seed to fruition he (or she) needs time.
At Triumph he had the luxury of low expectation, no real time constraints, and he had the freedom to literally make something from nothing. This time, he's been handed a broken company and been told it has to be fixed immediately. It cannot be fixed immediately - it hasn't got enough resources, or more importantly - cash. So, he has to go where the instant money is (BRIC and Car Audio) and then use that revenue stream to go forward elsewhere. I've met Tue and I can assure you he's 100% focused, driven and determined to succeed. If he doesn't, it won't be all his fault - I assure you, no matter what anyone will say.
I think he's going in the right direction but the company isn't honest with its employees and dealers in telling it exactly how it is. They must all understand what is happening, and exactly why. This way they can buy into the long term plan, know when to batten down the hatches, and also know that it's their turn for help next. However, as ever, it's all smoke and mirrors for them. This creates an unhappy and demotivated workforce and dealership team.
Anyway, I'm no business analyst - and also base my comments on my own readings, which may or may not be factual. Who knows..
My main bugbear though, as I keep saying, is marketing..
"So, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Marketing Department... We need to make our brand cool again, like it was in our heyday. You know, when everyone knew how great B&O was. We need fresh ideas, we need to appeal to the generation who have 'missed' B&O. We're NOW selling to people who were in their teens and twenties when they discovered B&O back in the 70's, 80's and 90's - and they've been loyal to us for their whole lives since then. We couldn't have survived without them. So, for the long term future of the company we need to recapture todays younger, cooler generation who have disposable income for the Play products and will then go on to buy the main products... Times have changed, we need a young, cool image..."
"Okay.. so, we need the Beats equivalent of Dr Dre, but someone more intellectual. Someone effortlessly cool but less street. Someone who all the young people know. Someone absolutely no older than, say... 35-40 ? Someone like Michael Buble or Jamie Cullum ? "
"YES... Brilliant - that's exactly what we need.."
"Well... I know a 71 year old who everyone will definitely have heard of, but the younger people won't really care about. He's a legend, but to young people he's as cool as a jab in the eye with a pencil..."
"Great, hire him!"
I know Jamie Cullum is a B&O fan (don't ask, I just do - I know someone who knows him personally) - so I'm sure he'd be up for it. You could even get Jools Holland in on the act too if you wanted the high-brow older generation in on it.
I also think they need more than one 'Brand Ambassador'... The first should be Jamie or Michael (or the like), and the second should be younger. Conor Maynard? Bruno Mars?
Marketing is everything today. The world is a more connected place. Put Conor Maynard sitting on a pair of BeoLab 5's on his fan pages and people ask "what are they?".. People say "Bang & Olufsen"... "Bang & Olufsen" trends. People look at the site... They see the brand... They talk about it... It becomes fashionable... They buy the Play products, they pressure their parents into being cool and having 'proper' B&O in the house.... The company makes money....
Is it that difficult?
To say that we should have a new CEO for B&O after such a short time would kill the company. There is not time for a new strategy. I will not take a bullet and say that this strategy is the right one but I have bet my money on in. As 9 LEE is saying Tue have been trying to get the revenue where it can be found in these days and that is not Europe!
We will now see the effort there have been on the line of product we all love when the new speakers have been launch after that I will start to judge. This is products he have been the man behind not the old BV7 and Beolab 8xxx and so on. These product don't sell but is that Tue's fault? He is trying with a new design in the shops, he is trying to make it better for the dealers but you don't do it over night. If people think that a turnover can be done in 2 years when we are dealing with products there need time then people don't have patience.
The marketing part! He is doing what the members have been screaming for teasing a release in the press and making a hype by using a album release to get traffic on their homepage. Who think that this is a dumb idea? I guess there is many opinions on Paul but I am 23 years old and the internet sees Beatles as a big icon which is a definition of music in many ways in our generation. He is the head for that even though we don't listen to his music he is an icon.
Give it some time and the bleeding market here in Europe is not in Tue's hands. Look at Loewe which get 80% of their revenue from the German market. Is that a good idea no if any doubt that. Brik is the future and we have to focus on that tough without forgetting the good markets in europe.
Beovision Harmony 77" 2nd Gen, Beolab 5, Beolab 17, Beosound 1, Beoplay M3, Beoplay Portal, Beoplay Earset, Beoliving Intelligence
9 LEE: I know Jamie Cullum is a B&O fan (don't ask, I just do - I know someone who knows him personally) - so I'm sure he'd be up for it. You could even get Jools Holland in on the act too if you wanted the high-brow older generation in on it.
Jamie Cullum's album has had a lot of positive feedback and (Radio 2) radio play, ideal for the 30-50 target audience. I agree he'd be ideal.
But, it might not be as simple as B&O just approaching an artist. McCartney doesn't get so much support or radio play than he did a few years ago, so is likely to be a cheaper and easier option for B&O. Plus B&O has to convince the artist's PR and record company, who have as much - more in many cases - of an influence than the artist, in regards to their marketing. It's not always a case of the artist getting their way, unless they are huge like Beyonce.
Having said that, didn't B&O sign a deal with Universal recently and Cullum is signed, through a subsidiary, to Universal!