A Critical Assessment of B&O PLAY's Influence on B&O
Authors
Hansen, Maria Laulund ; Bjerregaard, Nina Møller
Term
4. term
Publication year
2013
Submitted on
2013-07-30
Abstract
Dette speciale foretager en kritisk vurdering af, hvordan Bang & Olufsens lavere prissatte sub-brand B&O PLAY påvirker moderbrandet. Med udgangspunkt i B&O’s udfordringer under finanskrisen og analytikeres kritik af manglende innovation og høje priser undersøges, om PLAY kan tiltrække en yngre målgruppe uden at skabe kannibalisering eller udvande brandets eksklusivitet. Interviewguiden adresserer bl.a. målgruppesegmentering, brandarkitektur (endorser vs. ”shadow endorser”/house of brands), risiko for brandkannibalisering samt værdien af den tætte tilknytning til B&O. Specialet anvender en kvalitativ, semistruktureret interviewtilgang; i uddraget indgår et telefoninterview med CBS-forsker Jesper Clement, der fra et design- og marketingperspektiv peger på generelle risici ved billigere produktlinjer (forbrugerkonfusion og brandudvanding) og fremhæver betydningen af innovation og sammenkoblede brugeroplevelser frem for prisfokus. Uddraget rummer ikke de endelige resultater, men indsamlede ekspertperspektiver danner grundlag for at vurdere, om PLAY revitaliserer B&O’s image eller udfordrer brandets kerneværdier.
This thesis offers a critical assessment of how Bang & Olufsen’s lower-priced sub-brand, B&O PLAY, influences the parent brand. Framed by B&O’s post-crisis headwinds and analyst critiques of limited innovation and high prices, it examines whether PLAY can attract a younger audience without cannibalizing core products or diluting the brand’s exclusivity. The interview guide explores target segmentation, brand-architecture choices (endorser versus shadow endorser/house of brands), potential cannibalization, and the value of a close endorsement by B&O. The study employs a qualitative, semi-structured interview approach; the excerpt includes a telephone interview with CBS researcher Jesper Clement, who, from a design and marketing perspective, highlights general risks of lower-priced lines (consumer confusion and brand dilution) and stresses the importance of innovation and connected user experiences over price competition. The excerpt does not include final findings, but the collected expert perspectives underpin an evaluation of whether PLAY revitalizes B&O’s image or challenges the brand’s core equity.
[This summary has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project (PDF)]
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