Brand Awareness
In the framework of brand awareness, it seems that Beats by Dre demonstrate significant results. The client has launched a brilliant advertising campaign so that a plethora of additional customers get acquainted with the brand continuously. It has a very sound motto, “People aren’t hearing all the music” (Beats by Dre, 2017), which indicates the company’s aspirations for a new customer initially. The firm involves many celebrities to promote the headphones, which seems to be an efficient approach. These celebrities’ “advertising power” in social media posts or music videos – like Robert Thicke’s or Eminem’s ones – is a valuable resource. Beats spend considerable sums to adhere to such a policy (Finkle, 2018).
Brand Perception
Then, within the scope of brand perception, Beats by Dre also has notable achievements. Given the mentioned advanced advertising campaign, consumers know what to expect from the product, and their expectations are appropriately correlated with reality. The company offers what it is able to provide, which is maintained by the reputation and the brand’s history (Greenburg, 2018). Beats by Dre makes a substantial effort in this regard, which leads to noticeable customer loyalty and recognition. However, there has been some negative feedback regarding Beats’ bad-quality sound (Itman, 2015; Headphonesty, 2019).
Brand Preference
Finally, the number of new entrants for the premium headphones market has increased, which resulted in the intensified competition. This state of affairs reduced the superiority of the crucial industry’s actors such as Sony, Bose, or Sennheiser. However, it should be noted that Beats by Dre still holds about half of the market – 46% (Richter, 2017). Nevertheless, the brand’s share has shown a tendency to decrease with the flow of time.
Objectives
Given the current substantial extent of dissatisfaction with the product’s quality expressed by consumers, the company is to close this gap between expectations and actual offers. The company spends much on advertising and packaging, but it seems that this year, the main objective should be technological advancement. It is achievable due to the maintenance and ownership of Apple. The mentioned decreasing share and the new entrants indicate that Beats’ current technological insignificance will lead to lower profits and decreased competitiveness.
In-depth Interviews
For the in-depth interviews, there will be no specific demographic requirements for participants – the primary aspect here is product usage, as well product ownership. Interviewees will be required to 1) currently possess Beats by Dre and 2) have a considerable period of owning this product – from 2 years. The mentioned requirements imply that an interviewee will be well-acquainted with Beats and capable of identifying its peculiarities, advantages, and disadvantages from the consumer perspective. The participants also should be 18 years and older so that their responses could be consistent and reliable.
These interviewees will be identified and asked to take part in the research via social media. A number of online forums and Instagram groups will be used to that end. The in-depth interviews themselves will be conducted with the help of Zoom meetings. Such an approach was chosen because of the harsh conditions of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is considered a safe method, which implies no real-life contacts. Moreover, the participants will be informed that the interviews will be recorded to double-check their responses further.
Question Set
- What particular features are you expecting from your purchased headphones?
- What is more important to you – the quality or lower price of headphones? Why?
- Are you satisfied with your current headphones? What extent of dissatisfaction should be that will force you to change the brand?
- Do you have any preferences regarding the choice of your headphones?
- Could you list headphones’ brands that always grab your attention?
- What type of headphones do you prefer to the greatest extent?
- Do you consider Beats as a reasonable purchase, given its price?
- Would you recommend the brand to your friends and colleagues?
- Which three words would you use to describe Beats by Dre?
- What could you tell about your last experience with Beats by Dre?
- What is the most significant aspect of your experience with Beats by Dre? The most negative one?
- Are you satisfied with Beats for today?
- Have you ever switched to another brand in the framework of headphones?
- Did you feel substantial advantages of Beats by Dre after you turned to this brand?
- How many headphones’ brands you changed before Beats?
- What is the crucial aspect that attracts you to Beats by Dre?
- What are the side factors that may attract you?
- Are there any factors that can discourage you from purchasing Beats?
- Do you prefer to buy headphones online or in stores?
- Are you ready to purchase Beats not from the official site, stores, or authorized resellers for the sake of lower price?
- Would you buy second-hand Beats by Dre?
- What can stop you from buying Beats by Dre?
- Are there any barriers to purchase caused by the official site and stores of the brand?
- What improvements could the brand implement regarding the purchasing process?
- How many headphones’ brands can you name? Are there any difficulties in choosing between them?
- Do you feel the necessity to turn from Beats to another brand?
- Do you consider any other headphones’ brands as good alternatives to Beats?
- In your opinion, what makes a headphones’ brand the most attractive for consumers?
- What is the most advanced headphones’ brand for you?
- What is the primary alternative to Beats by Dre?
Focus Group
For the focus group, requirements will be more serious if compared with the in-depth interviews. Here, the number of participants will be six so that a consistent discussion could be achieved. These participants will be: 1) my three colleagues who possess Beats by Dre for more than two years and use them now (they have considerable marketing background); 2) three specialists who work in stores that offer Beats by Dre and who know the product at the advanced level. The suggested focus group is expected to provide a thorough discussion and rational responses, given their significant background.
My colleagues will be contacted by phone and invited to take part in the research. The specialists from stores will be contacted via phone as well after the phone numbers from the stores’ official websites will be obtained. The meeting with the participants will be conducted with the help of Zoom. The time and date of this Zoom meeting will be set, taking into account the individual schedules of the mentioned participants. Such an approach was chosen because of the harsh conditions of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is considered a safe method, which implies no real-life contacts. Moreover, the participants will be informed that the interviews will be recorded to double-check their responses further.
Question Set
- What particular features are you expecting from your purchased headphones?
- Explain to which extent Beats by Dre meet all of your personal needs.
- For today, do you consider the demand for Beats reasonable? Why?
- What are your preferences regarding the choice of headphones?
- Could you discuss the primary preferences regarding headphones in the market?
- What type of headphones are the most popular? Do Beats provide it significantly?
- When do you think of Beats by Dre, what comes to mind first?
- What is the degree of your emotional attachment to Beats by Dre?
- Would you recommend the brand to your friends and colleagues?
- How could you describe the overall experience of using Beats by Dre?
- What are the main advantages and disadvantages of using Beats by Dre?
- Are you satisfied with Beats for today?
- Have you ever switched to another brand in the framework of headphones?
- Were there any technical difficulties in owning the brand?
- Did you conduct any market research before purchasing Beats?
- What is the most attractive thing that makes a consumer buy Beats by Dre?
- Can the brand be considered attractive for the broad target audience?
- Are there any factors that can discourage one from purchasing Beats? What are they?
- Does the brand provide a convenient approach to purchase its product?
- Is it easier to buy Beats by Dre online or in stores? Why?
- Would you wait for some discounts to buy Beats or pay the full price promptly?
- What are the main obstacles in purchasing Beats by Dre?
- Do any outside factors – like unfair competition caused by rivals – take place when it comes to the decision of purchasing Beats by Dre?
- What recommendations could you give the brand to reduce the barriers to purchase?
- Does the brand exist under the conditions of severe competition?
- Could the primary rivals’ products be considered as a suitable substitution to Beats by Dre?
- What is the primary competitive advantage of Beats?
- Which brand is the main rival of Beats by Dre and why?
- Are there any opportunities for Beats to improve its competitiveness? What are they?
- Does the brand conduct an effective advertising campaign in comparison with its competitors?
References
Beats by Dre. (2021). People aren’t hearing all the music. Web.
Finkle, C. (2018). Beats By Dre: A lifestyle brand case study. BMB. Web.
Greenburg, Z. (2018). Dr. Dre’s $3 billion monster: the secret history of Beats. Forbes. Web.
Headphonesty. (2019). The true value of Beats headphones. Web.
Itman, N. (2015). If you read this review and still buy Beats headphones, you’re an idiot. Web.
Richter, F. (2017). The U.S. wireless headphone market. Statista. Web.