http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&sl=da&u=http://www.business.dk/tech-mobil/bo-boss-vi-saelger-lidt-i-kina&rurl=translate.google.com&usg=ALkJrhgVfr9IaXgDh_y2J_uYwhEdsKWA_w

This article from last months Business Dk points to disappointment with B&O sales in China.  "The problem is that Chinese do not find B & O interesting enough"

http://www.bang-olufsen.com/beonews/New_CEO.wmv

I don’t normally comment on these issues but looking at Kalle’s eyes, he is not a happy bunny. I also suspect…and it is easy to doomsay, but this new CEO does not look like good news to me. Triumph Motorcycles?? Really. The UK’s long-running answer to “plod and chrome” Harley’s?

I suspect were going to see a cold hard approach to the business rather than technical innovation.

A drive for Shareholder value

A drive for integration with Apple Products (or the most fashionable tech out there)

A pure economic move to Chinese manufacturing (based on the success of the BS8)

A drive for “features” which will keep the attention span of under-40’s engaged for more than 5 minutes.

10

Wow, 10. You're right. That's a sad sad Dane. 

Fortunately it appears that we're in the capable hands of a handsome 19 year old.

TripEnglish:

B&O hasn't caught on in America yet because they refuse to put dippin' sauce holders in the remotes. Until Americans can dip their chicken fingers, onion rings, steak skewers, etc. into a savory sauce held in their remote, they'll seek out other manufacturers. Simple as that. 

That's the funniest thing you've wrote to date :-)  

Who says Americans' can't do sarcasm. lol.

Mr10Percent:

http://www.bang-olufsen.com/beonews/New_CEO.wmv

Thank you for posting.   You can see that Kalle really is the B&O brand in a person and is sad for the news.  But i imagine that the new CEO will feel the same way that Kalle did when he took over from the previous CEO.

I couldn't give a toss where someone worked before, just what they can bring to the brand and lead the company.

Well done Kalle, i think you've done a great job.  

There's something "wrong' about that video. Why didn't anyone tell Tue his shirt collar was sticking out almost horizontally, whilst on camera? And why did he stand there and justify his career on camera?

Where to start? The childish opening logo sequence, copied from BBC World, the bad lighting, Hvidt Nielsen looking shell shocked but taking one for the team, Tue Mantoni with his collar poking out and mixing up Triumph and B&O (didn't they have time for another take?).

I would recommend that B&O make an intro that shows a B&O set-up, nice television and speakers, and which zooms in on the screen, without the pretense of being a news broadcast. And then always, always, always ensure that the production quality is coherent with the brand expression.

As far as I've been told, though, there is an interesting platform emerging for consolidating various media through new technologies, and I don't think it will be delayed by this swap at the top.

The board needs to do a lot of work to convince the world they know what they're doing, though - after the nixing of the previous chairman ten weeks in.

moxxey:

And why did he stand there and justify his career on camera?

Calming the troops worldwide I guess.....its the third new CEO in about 5 years.  Unsettling if you earn a living in the distribution.

That said, he seems to be switched on, and it bodes well if his time at Triumph was indeed a triumph  

Time will tell. 

He needs to address the perception of B&O becoming a rich mans' shiny toy, rather than a real alternative / upgrade to the identikit mass market.

The new audio and video platform needs to appear asap, in a range that will offer choice and options at most levels other than absolute bargian basement.

Back in the day, it was always viable to explain why a Century / Bsnd 1 was a worthwhile purchase above a "midi" system by Sony/Panasonic etc - the differential was there, for sure, maybe a factor of 2 or 3, but from a plastic mosnter to a real audio system. 

People saw the reasons, heard the difference and bought into the brand.  Same applied to an Avant over a Sony or Pana CRT.  Factor in a stand, a vcr/dvd and the Avant was still twice, maybe 3 times the "multibrand" option....but it was obvious to all why.

This doesn't seem as apparent with digital audio and panel TV's....and yet the beo-differential is now four, five or more.... its a hard sell.

Less than 10 years ago, a potential buyer had audio starting at Bsnd 1 ( £650 ) but with a progression through many combinations and price points up to iconic Bsnd9000 / Blab1/Blab 2system. ( ( £7K ish)

Video had a small kitchen/bedroom TV, wall or stand mounted, as a family of several models (MX), with its "big brother" main room TV's (AVANT/AV5/BV4) also in multiple options....in other words, a range to suit many budgets, locations and technical requirements.

This MUST be an issue - on another thread, it is mentioned that only a few years ago, most Danish homes would have some B&O - or aspire to it -  now it is becoming the exception, not the norm.

folkdeejay:

This MUST be an issue - on another thread, it is mentioned that only a few years ago, most Danish homes would have some B&O - or aspire to it -  now it is becoming the exception, not the norm.

Apart from well-off homes, it already is the exception. In well-off homes it is fast becoming the exception.

What worries me about this (I think I have said it before), is that just when they were picking up momentum in the product categories (BV10, BV10-32", BS5 Encore - the one that might actually be able to compete with an iPod -  the WiFi equipped Beo6, and Beonet), they decided to show the technical (i.e. product focussed) CEO the door, and make the switch to a marketing bloke from a motorcycle company.

To me, that reads as "We're going to repackage stuff from someone else, and we will shift our forces from development to marketing".

I so hope I'm wrong.

Was B&O ever traditional luxury, or was it extremely well made and superbly thought-out high-quality A/V, accessible to anyone willing to pay to experience the best?

I think there's a difference. A lot of luxury brands and products are just fluff, made to be luxury because of an insane price differential and because they happen to be favored by a certain crowd. Cristal champagne, tastes regular and costs a fortune; Vertu phones - sure, if you need diamonds glued to a phone, nothing special about the sound.

That's where B&O lost track of what they were doing. They made the decision to pursue the moody fluff-luxury market, hunting for better margins by selling to people who don't care what things cost, and who are usually not even making the purchasing decision themselves.

I will argue that B&O isn't a luxury provider at all - they are (well, were) delivering outstanding performance in A/V, at a premium price.

Then they decided to stop delivering outstanding performance, and focused on jacking up the price. Along a considerable period of time, from the mid-60s to the early 80s, B&O delivered outstanding performance, across the board. And they continued doing so at varying degrees, but not in a cohesive way, until the 2000s. While earlier you could find top-of-the-line products in all their categories that matched or surpassed the best available in the category, this is no longer the case.

And I think that's where their challenge is now. Will they reinvent their product legacy; or will they exploit their brand allegiance?

Will be an interesting ride.

I read he delocalised the production of Triumph to China. Personnaly I do not care where B&O is produced, but I know some people here will appreciate this info ;-)

Did someone just die?

That's what the Kalle introduction sounds and looks like! Awful and not tasteful. Is this all they can come up with?

I think this new guy sounds all wrong. Business, Business, Business. Mathematics, Goldman Sachs. Motorcycles. Oh, and did I mention Business. Degrees. School.

Come on.

Kalle seriously looked like he was on trial at Nuremberg.

PhilLondon:

I read he delocalised the production of Triumph to China. Personnaly I do not care where B&O is produced, but I know some people here will appreciate this info ;-)

I don't mind per se, but it is what I would expect from a marketing guy: Screw the products, rebadge other people's products and focus solely on the marketing of image.

My biggest all-overriding fear in this context, is that they will stop the production of the BL5s, and any such products in the future.

From my point of view, things are quite simple.

We all now the problems of the current products. Mainly is the inability to keep up with the pace of the technology. And of course to make up-to-date TV sets. It is essential to understand that on their price range (which is i think part of the brand status), they just HAVE TO , use the best 3rd party panels and offer all the facilities of a 500 euro TV set. With all the pros of the Beosystem 3 integration, lack of let's say HDMI ports or PCM sound signal handling, that the first Beovisions still suffer is unacceptable.

Their speaker technology, integration and car audio is going to the right direction.

They have to focus again on making the best TV sets on the market (BV7-55 and BV10 are not perfect, but are a good start). This will boost the Company up again.

Hope the new CEO has a successful work for B&O.

Michael Hoogkamer:

I couldn't give a toss where someone worked before, just what they can bring to the brand and lead the company.

Plus

Mr10Percent:

 Triumph Motorcycles?? Really. The UK’s long-running answer to “plod and chrome” Harley’s?

Equals

TripEnglish:

 B&O hasn't caught on in America yet because they refuse to put dippin' sauce holders in the remotes. Until Americans can dip their chicken fingers, onion rings, steak skewers, etc. into a savory sauce held in their remote, they'll seek out other manufacturers. Simple as that. 

We have been warned!

10

I don't know about you. But lately, I have become really bored with B&O. Really bored. I have a feeling they are knackered.

This is one tough thread to read.

Kalle, you did a wonderful job. Lets hope in the 4 months you are still around, you can get this kid on the right track.

Evan:

This is one tough thread to read.

Kalle, you did a wonderful job. Lets hope in the 4 months you are still around, you can get this kid on the right track.

Well, I'm not despairing. This is a deeply schizophrenic company, capable of delivering the world's best car audio and the BL5s, and able to put out mobile phones you'd think were designed in the dark, for people who hate to make calls or text. You get the elegance of BeoCenter 2 (admit it, you liked seeing those wings open and close), and you get the inanity of BeoSound 4 (which could have played DVDs, had surround, stored lossless ...).

They are from Jutland, and are usually very down-to-earth people. They don't really want to mix with the Louis Vuitton crowd ... Let's see what they choose.

Sad news indeed. I try not to think about what the future holds for Bang & Olufsen too much although I still have faith in the latest product range and would be a customer if I could afford it. It is quite sad that the BS9K, BS3200 etc are ending production although I realise nothing lasts forever. 

Probably not commercially viable although I sense there would be some market for it - I would like to see B&O release a bespoke "classic" product range containing 'vox 2500 cubes, Beolab 5000/6000 quad/8000 system, Beosound 9000 etc and some dare I say it turntables, hand built with modern touches for integration with home networking etc as well as uncompromising attention to detail in terms of build quality (ie, better than original). 

Similar to the Mercedes "Classic" range I suppose.

I worked for B&O when Kalle came into power and I remember how excited and positive everybody was at the time. He seems to have done a good job, there have certainly been some interesting products released since he became CEO. I can't really see why he is being replaced.

Poor guy.

Being outside of the whole thing, there's obviously alot more to the story that none of us know...

That being said, Mr. Nielsen looks quite sad to be going. His facial expressions and overall demeanor give me the impression that he was one of a very few people who really cared about the company he worked for, and put some wholehearted effort into saving it. I could be wrong of course, but that's what it seems like.

My family and I are struggling along financially right now, so I'm sure B&O couldn't care less about me, not being a prospective customer whatsoever (not of my own will, of course). But, my take is this, and I hope they see it:

I remember reading in the 'Beosound 8 being made in China' thread, that many didn't care if B&O is made in China or wherever else. BUT IT DOES MATTER. Why? Because Chinese people are inferior somehow? No! Of course not. You're an idiot if you think that. It matters because Bang and Olufsen is a DANISH company. Everything should be put together, and roll off an assembly line there at home. Source some parts from the East, go ahead. It's been that way for a long time anyway, way before the BS8. However, irrespective of all else, having the product assembled and shipped out of Denmark, by actual Danes, working for a Danish company with rich heritage is an inexorable part of the romantic feeling of a Bang and Olufsen product. "This is different, this is unique, this is special!" Yes, being screwed together in Denmark matters. Unequivocally so.

People scoff at romanticism - the bottom line always comes down to numbers and money. Bear this in mind however; it's obvious to all when someone doesn't care about the product they sell, or believe in what they do. Sure, in 1925, Mr. Bang and Mr. Olufsen wanted to build a profitable business. But they built that business on what their interest was...what their passion was. They believed in what they did, and did it to please themselves, not just a bunch of shareholders. That allowed B&O to be special.

There will always be a fine line to straddle between pursuing passion and excellence, and keeping a company afloat. I hope the new CEO really cares about Bang and Olufsen as much as we do, and doesn't treat his job simply as another stepping stone to bigger and better things. Regardless of my wallet, I'll always be a Beofan (even if not of the future products, always the classics), and I hope the company is around for...ever, really.

Jon

Mr10Percent:

http://www.bang-olufsen.com/beonews/New_CEO.wmv

 

 

I don’t normally comment on these issues but looking at Kalle’s eyes, he is not a happy bunny. I also suspect…and it is easy to doomsay, but this new CEO does not look like good news to me. Triumph Motorcycles?? Really. The UK’s long-running answer to “plod and chrome” Harley’s?

 

I suspect were going to see a cold hard approach to the business rather than technical innovation.

 

A drive for Shareholder value

A drive for integration with Apple Products (or the most fashionable tech out there)

A pure economic move to Chinese manufacturing (based on the success of the BS8)

A drive for “features” which will keep the attention span of under-40’s engaged for more than 5 minutes.

 

 

 

10

Just a thought

Triumph > Harley Davidson

B&O>Bose???

Oh my God!!! That is the new path. Hopefully not.

It's rumored that Apple are working on a range of OLED tv's with the new super advanced Light Peak connection technology.

Well , when they come out , it's game over for B&O .

Harley Davidson is legendary, Triumph is a legend.  Ian Anderson gave props to both...

He once owned a Harley Davidson and a Triumph Bonneville.
Counted his friends in burned-out spark plugs
and prays that he always will.
But he's the last of the blue blood greaser boys
all of his mates are doing time:
married with three kids up by the ring road
sold their souls straight down the line.
And some of them own little sports cars
and meet at the tennis club do's.
For drinks on a Sunday --- work on Monday.
They've thrown away their blue suede shoes.

Now they're too old to Rock'n'Roll and they're too young to die. 

Flappo:

It's rumored that Apple are working on a range of OLED tv's with the new super advanced Light Peak connection technology.

Well , when they come out , it's game over for B&O .

When Apple comes out with a computer it's game over for HP, Lenovo, Packard Bell, Dell, Acer, Toshiba, and Samsung.

When Apple comes out with a display it's game over for ViewSonic, Toshiba, Samsung, and AOC.

When Apple comes out with a tablet it's game over for HP, Dell, and Samsung.

When Apple comes out with a car, it's game over for Audi.