That's a big change that is ini ated by the
new management.
For a company that is known for its
conserva ve approach to business,
par cularly when it comes to marke ng and
promo onal strategies, this is certainly a
remarkable devia on. Refreshing though, it
is a sizeable surprise at least for those who
followed and known the company closely.
The Story
“It is a well-thought out corporate decision-
to speak to the market in a language that
people who use our products speak, and
want to iden fy with,” came the explana on
from Anita. “We have long been talking
about technology and all that jargon, which
perhaps not fully taken by the users who are
not always technical. So, this is an ini a ve
to connect the products with the users in a
way they can iden fy themselves with, in an
emo onal binding.” That's the new
beyerdynamic approach to market.
“What we are seeing now is in part what we
spoke last me (in Orlando),” recalled
beyerdynamic's CEO Edgar van Velzen.
“It is part of our vision for expansion in the
conferencing domain, Pro Audio and
prosumer markets, as well as consumer
domain,” Edgar explained. “Like I said in our
previous discussion, the borders between
pure B2B and B2C segments are fading away
rather fast and a whole new and sizable
interes ng market is growing; both sides
need to act swi ly now, understand what
their respec ve user wants, and make
products that suit their target buyers,” he
detailed. “At the end, they all are buyers
looking for ease of use, ease of install,
appealing to their emo ons and their user
experiences, and best all of this
simultaneously working. This is what we are
working on.”
One important measure towards this vision
is to bring new technologies to the market
and name the products with a specific name
that is easy for the users to connect,
remember, iden fy with, and ask for it.
That's how the FOX, PHONUM, and UNITE
have come to beckon the beyerdynamic
product lovers. All of this, without denying
the manufacturer's original DNA;
professionals in audio, for many years.
PHONUM:Meet the modern mee ng
intelligence
“Take
PHONUM, as
a case in a
point here,”
says Edgar. “It
combines the
both
prosumer and
consumer. If you look at it from the
consumer side, it is a Bluetooth speaker with
great sound and a great working
microphone; if you see from professional
side, it is a conferencing system with a
fantas c system of three microphones
including 360-degree beam-forming and
beam-steering,” he explains. “The system
suits the needs of diverse fields of ac vity
involving individuals and groups from both
consumer and professional segments. It is
one best answer/solu on for both the
segments.”
More, each of this new genre of products
seek to connect with the users in a nice
story-telling mode, with an emo on of its
own. If the USB-sta c FOX microphone can
excite anyone with a musical mind but not
necessarily tech professional, the PHONUM
is taken to excite the conference geeks due to
its ability to break free from cable/power
connec ons and more. “It can facilitate
conferencing anywhere, even from
a garden,” explains Anita detailing the rich
features of the modern day
mee ng device.
The UNITE, on
the other hand,
apparently
takes the tour
guide
experience to
an altogether
new level of
sophis ca on
with
precision. According to the marcom exec, it
can be a fascina ng leading light for
segments like museums, educa onal
exhibi on venues or campuses etc. “It would
be hard to resist the emo onal connect with
UNITE, once the users experience the
benefits of mul -way communica on it
brings to them.”
Says Edgar: “The Tour Guide is just the start;
this technology is the base for a lot of
addi onal product possibili es in the months
and years to come.”
Edgar Van Velzen: the
Ini ator of Change
If there are a few business houses
that have a rich history of over 90
years with many 'firsts' in
technologies, and con nued to
flourish with their innova on on a
global scale, and yet maintained a
very tradi onal iden ty, German
audio major beyerdynamic takes a
pole posi on among equals.
Founded in 1924, the Heilbronn-
based beyerdynamic made its name
on two basic tenets: sheer
engineering brilliance in product
development yet promoted by
family-driven, conserva ve
methodologies. While the company
grew from strength to strength in
terms of its product innova on,
market size and geographical
spread, it's been quite conserva ve
in its marke ng and promo onal
strategies all through its decades of
growth. Straight, so and sober
even as it grew in sophis ca on on
the global stage of compe on.
While the products and solu ons
are liked, loved and owned by
millions world over, beyerdynamic
has been a quite hidden enterprise
all through, ll recently- un l the
new addi onal Managing Director
Edgar van Velzen took over the
company reigns in June 2017. The
new MD – charisma c as the 51-
year-old Dutch entrepreneur with
large consumer electronics exper se
is – who took over recently as the
full-fledged CEO, following the
re rement of the company's long
standing MD Wolfgang Luckhardt, is
now breathing new winds of change
into the company.
It's not just nomenclature and
product presenta on that are in for
change; there are more fascina ng
aspects than one would imagine.
Stay tuned for the weeks and
months to come!
That's a big change.
INTERVIEW