The company has always had premium prices, but in certain categories the products don’t always live up to the brand’s reputation: 2010s noise-cancelling earbuds were bulky, average-sounding, and had poor battery life; and also sold a line of expensive Bluetooth speakers with redundant screens.
Then, after its brick-and-mortar stores didn’t have the billboard-like effect Bose wanted, the brand, just before Snyder joined, decided to make dramatic—a word that could be replaced with “shock”—its focus. online sales and reinforcing displays in storefronts such as Best Buy in the United States.
This seismic shift meant that every Bose store in the US, Europe, Australia, and Japan closed, resulting in 119 store closures and hundreds of layoffs worldwide. So far, under Snyder’s leadership, that shift to online and brick-and-mortar stores has, according to the company, worked—but it could have gone the other way.
Brands like Nike that have moved away from brand-owned retail stores have seen sales, but the biggest difference is in Bose’s decision to rely on retail partners. By supporting shows at places like Best Buy and other stores, as well as relying on sales from Amazon and other online retailers outside of its website, Bose has been able to maintain a broad reach while not limiting sales in-house. According to Snyder, this downsizing approach has been effective in improving Bose’s fortunes, especially when paired with excellent new products.
Special Sound
Being a technology company focused entirely on audio products, Snyder says the secret sauce at Bose is research. Engineers are always looking for new innovations in materials, acoustics, design, manufacturing, and more. When asked about the latest innovations in solid state driver technology, for example, he is not shy about his impressive market research.
“What’s exciting about Bose is that we’ve been an audio company for 60 years,” said Synder. “We know that we will be in a competitive market. We’ve always been in a competitive market, whether it’s headphones, home, or car. What sets us apart is that we are all about sound. You can be sure that we try our best. When we believe something is ready, we bring it forward. We are always looking for technology that can change the game.”
This is especially evident when it comes to noise cancellation, which was pioneered by the type of pilots—a market Snyder says Bose prides itself on consistently dominating—rather than the people in the cockpit.
Using Pros
By investigating what pilots needed to work safely and comfortably in the cockpit, and constantly asking them for improvements and ideas, Bose was able to develop and fine-tune what remains the best noise cancellation algorithms WIRED has ever tested. That makes sense, given that the latest generation of Bose Quietcomfort over-ears and earbuds offer truly professional aerospace technology.
Snyder says the brand uses professionals, or sub-professionals in the case of their PA gear for small venue artists, not only to develop their products but also to market to people who want quality sound. “They are a professional musician. They have a big ear. They know what loud noise sounds like. Those products create a kind of halo.”