Bose Corporation was founded in 1964 by Dr. Amar G. Bose, professor of electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His graduate research at MIT led to the development of new, patented technologies, and at MIT’s encouragement, he founded his own company based on those patents. The first Bose headset product line was invented in the early 1990s. the name of the first product is the Aviation headset. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the famous Bose headphone product Quiet Comfort headphone has been sale in the market.
Product history
Bose Headphones incorporate the latest in headphone technology to give you the same clean, crisp sound that you get from their award winning speakers. During the design stages, Bose took into consideration not only the quality of sound that their headphones produce, but also the level of comfort they will provide. Terrific Bose sound combined with incredible comfort are the two main reasons that the Bose In-Ear Headphones are the leading headphones on the market.
Source: Bose Owner’s Guides for Headphones and Headsets. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
MARKETING POSITION
Bose headphone are the most professional headphones on the markets. Now there are 12 different headphones sold on the website, price between £89.5 and £299.5. The famous line is the Quiet Comfort headophones Acoustic Noise Cancelling® headphones which could reduct the noise to present the customer the best listening envitonment.
SALIENCE
On the front page of BESTBUY, when looking for “Headphones”, Bose on the top 5 list, 61 for Beats, 23 for Soul by Ludacris, 131 for Sony,175 for Sennheiser and 34 for Bose. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Audio/Headphones/abcat0204000.c?id=abcat0204000&searchresults=1&searchterm=headphones (Retrieved on December 4th, 2012)
Customers of the Bose headphone usually go to comparative websites to describe how they feel about the product. They all admit that they have been attracted by the quality of the Bose Headphone. Bose headphone is a representative of the professional headphone which contribute to a comfortable environment to the ear and an excellent sound effect.
DIGITALVERSUS.COM is one of the famous digital product compare website. In the Audio part, we could clearly see the BOSE headphone on the first page.（http://www.digitalversus.com/headphones.html）
Bose products are usually known for their classy, high-tech look. Here are the CNET reviews about the Bose Quiet Comfort 15 headphone. The editor give the four and half star rating which the highest is five star.
The good: Extracomfortable design; improved sound; highly effective noise-canceling circuitry; device folds for compact storage in included carrying case; 30-day home trial.
The bad: Expensive; when the battery dies, so does the music.
The bottom line: While they’re no bargain, the Bose QuietComfort 15s currently offer the best sound and silencing capabilities in a pair of noise-canceling headphones.
(http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/bose-quiet-comfort-15/4505-7877_7-33766864.html)
On Amazon website, customers talk about Bose:
http://www.amazon.com/Bose%C2%AE-AE2i-Audio-Headphones-Black/product-reviews/B005586PT2
And here’s a video from YouTube, a fan of Bose to talk about Bose:
PERFORMANCE:
As mentioned on the first part, the Bose headphone focus on the professional of the headphone technology. The other important function of the headphone could be the noise cancelling. Unlike the other brands that focus on the shape design, Bose always focus on the technology inside the headphone, that’s why it won the trust of the professional industry, like musicians or pilots.
Exceptional Noise-Cancelling Device:
Audiophiles who want noise mitigation tend to go for the passive attenuation used with IEMs (in-ear monitors, like the sort that performers wear on stage). I have some Shure IEMs, and they are very good at blocking out external noise, but at the cost of inserting something into your ear canal. Worse, in an environment such as a plane, you are often interrupted and have to pull them out of your ear canal, meaning that you have to keep struggling with refitting. (Yes, you can get a microphone unit to avoid this, but that’s pretty inconvenient in itself.) Let’s not even talk about earwax!
The Bose headphones are very easy to move and replace, so what you lose in absolute attenuation is more than offset by convenience.
The attenuation itself is very good. Without noise cancelling turned on, the headphones do a good job of muffling the external world, but when you turn it on there is a clear “silencing” effect. I haven’t tested other noise cancelling headphones, but from reading reviews I’d say that it’s pretty clear that Bose are technically the best and – even though these headphones will not silence the external world or even come clear to it – once you actually start playing music your brain tends to go along with the process and exclude any distracting noises that might make it past the active cancelling.
Customer benefits from Bose Headphone:
- Advanced noise reduction across a wide range of frequencies; ideal for home, work or travel
- Lifelike sound that reveals even the most subtle nuances of your music
- Comfortable fit with soft, around-ear cushions
- Includes two audio cables, one with mic/remote for iPhone/iPod control and hands-free iPhone calling
- 35 hours of use on average from AAA battery
IMAGERY
Bose headphones : a professional brand
Design: Bose design of headphones is sober, with simple lines and soft colors. The headphones look simple and highly technological products. This style is elegant and refined.
Bose is good at using the print media. Like the advertisement below, the theme is to highlight the unique technology noise cancelling of the product.
Here’s the video show on youtube to show BOSE:
Here are some print advertisements of BOSE:
Sources:
RESPONSE
Judgement:
Quality – Bose offer superior quality, functionality, style and design for high prices.
Credibility – The relationships Bose has established through providing audio solutions for NASA, automobile makers, and the U.S. Military built its credibility. Bose must continue to pursue these types of relationships.
Consideration – Brand associations early on need to be established with consumers so that they consider Bose when they need an audio solution. Many competitive brands have already made strong associations with consumers such as Sony, Samsung and Phillips.
Superiority – True audiophiles consider Bose as being the best solution for them. They don’t even have to ask themselves : Why should I choose Bose? Bose established a trust relationship with their consumers.
Here are some customers’ comments on BOSE:
Awesome sound quality!
The sound quality is superb, folks ! Believe it ! I bought the QuietComfort 2’s (older model) in Iraq for $250 and loved them. I’m a true believer that you get what you pay for and these deliver. Any Bose product is worth the money. Can’t beat that people!
Excellent, worth the Price
My first experience with Bose Headphones was with the Bose TP-1A Over Ear headphones (purchased summer 2008). The sound quality was amazing, and those headphones were used heavily for two years, including a deployment to Iraq. I cannot stress how much I enjoy my QC15’s. The sound canceling is excellent, the sound quality is also excellent. In addition, the travel case is perfect, somehow combining a ridged case with minimal area used; this allows the QC15’s to stay a permanent piece of equipment kept in my backpack when traveling.
The only reason I give the headphones a 4 star rating is because you cannot use the headphones as headphones unless the power switch located on the right earphone is turned on. I would like to be able to turn the sound canceling feature on and off seperately from normal headphone use.
High Price! But Worth It.
I had the Quiet Comfort 3’s, which I really liked. With all my travel though, I wanted something better. The Quiet Comfort 15’s hit the spot. The sound quality is great, because the mid range is clear and the bass is not artificially pumped up. They are a little tight on the head after awhile, so I have to take them off for a second periodically. When traveling though, I would never give them up. They virtually stop the jet engine’s whine, the crying child right behind you and the couple talking business right next to you. When I pair it with mp3 player Sony Walkman, I just float off into the world of nirvana. My iPod Touch doesn’t have a strong enough signal to provide a quality sound from the 15’s. I’d recommend them to anyone.
Feelings:
This is the customer feeling of Bose on YouTube website:
Bose On-Ear Headphones Honest Review
There is an in-depth look at the Bose-On Ear headphones with my views on the positive and negative points of BOSE.
Bose headphones are so expansive than they are not accessible to everybody. So, once you buy some, you feel member of an exclusive category of persons : you made a wise choice and you have a strong feeling of achievement. This is not only about rational decision to buy a good producct, this is more about social status.
RESONANCE
Early in 2005, the Bose Customer Relationship Marketing Group launched a motivation project called Bose Customer for Life, which sought to maintain the company’s industry-leading profile among its customers.
Objectives included:
Developing a post-sale customer education program to create stronger, life-long relationships with Bose; reaching out to anticipate customer needs; and helping customers successfully experience the benefits of owning Bose products. This primary motivation was an alarming survey result: customer advocacy of their lifestyle System “the company’s flagship product line” declined 6% from 2004 to 2005, indicating that customers were significantly less inclined to recommend their Bose equipment to friends. The company believed this was due to shortcomings within the ownership experience, after the sale had been completed.
Bose has an online product center:
When you buy a Bose product, you become a valued, lifelong customer. Our product support site offers the tools and information you need to ensure the lasting value of your Bose products. This kind of service will definitlly improve the customer loyalty, because it will be convenient for customer to find information and solve problems. This will improve the customer satisfy and feelings.
Bose also has their product registration:
Registering your Bose product ensures you’ll receive any applicable software or product updates for years of continued enjoyment. I think this will be very helpful for keeping customer loyalty. That means I not only buy the product, but also can enjoy the future service.
Bose supply customer with gift cards and messaging to improve the customers’ loyalty.
HEADPHONES 
