Strata-gee.com

Strategy in TECH...

What Savant Can Do
You are here: Home / Archives for Marketing

Marketing

CEDIA Expo 2021: Should You Risk Your Health to Attend a ‘20% Expo’?

by 6 Comments

CEDIA18 Day 2 crowds
I saw more open aisles on Days 2 & 3

The Day After Losing 39 Exhibitors, Expo Loses Another 26

What a crazy couple of weeks it has been for exhibitors of CEDIA Expo 2021, and also for potential attendees who watched a slow-motion train wreck unfold right in front of their eyes. It was almost exactly two weeks ago – on August 10th – when Savant CEO Robert Madonna suddenly announced that Savant was pulling out of CEDIA, due to concerns over the surging infections from the Delta variant of COVID-19.

Little did we know then that this was the trickle before the flood…

See more on the saga of CEDIA Expo 2021

[Read more…] about CEDIA Expo 2021: Should You Risk Your Health to Attend a ‘20% Expo’?

CEDIA Expo Loses More Than 100 Exhibitors; Redraws Smaller Floorplan

by 2 Comments

CEDIA 2018 crowd
CEDIA Expo in better days

CEDIA Expo 2021, scheduled to run in less than two weeks from September 1-3, 2021 in Indianapolis, IN, has been steadily shrinking over the last ten days or so, as exhibitors began pulling out in the face of the rapid expansion of COVID infections due to the Delta variant. Emerald, the exposition company that owns the CEDIA Expo, has said they are going forward no matter what – even though their data shows that more than 100 exhibitors have pulled out of the event in the last two weeks.

See the latest numbers from Emerald and the smaller floorplan

[Read more…] about CEDIA Expo Loses More Than 100 Exhibitors; Redraws Smaller Floorplan

TechStarter: Will We Find the ‘Next Big Thing’ at CEDIA Expo 2021?

by Leave a Comment

CEDIA 2018 crowd

Emerald, the exposition company that owns CEDIA Expo, announced this week that they will again field a TechStarter competition at CEDIA Expo 2021. TechStarter, the show says, is sort of a tech-specific version of ABCs Shark Tank show, where exhibitors in the show’s “Launchpad” section – the section that used to be known as Innovation Alley – get to pitch their business models to the judges (comprised of top industry executives) in the hopes of being selected as one of the TechStarter FIVE.

See more on the TechStarter competition at CEDIA Expo 2021

[Read more…] about TechStarter: Will We Find the ‘Next Big Thing’ at CEDIA Expo 2021?

The New West Coast Experience Center for Savant? A Stunner…

by Leave a Comment

Savant's new West Coast Experience Center

Nestled in the hills over the Nevada plains, not far from the bright lights of Las Vegas, Savant Systems partnered with design-led development firm Blue Heron and integrator Eagle Sentry to create what they call their West Coast Experience Center – otherwise known as a stunning residential home showcasing a million dollars worth of Savant technology (as well as a few technology partners). The ultra-modern home, clearly destined for an ultra-rich niche, featured a design that was – to my eyes – just stunning…and the installation is a true testament to Savant’s theory that installed AV should be “hidden in plain sight.”

You’re going to want to see Savant’s new West Coast Experience Center…

[Read more…] about The New West Coast Experience Center for Savant? A Stunner…

MQA Finale: Both Anti- and Pro- Forces Have Their Successes and Failures

by 26 Comments

MQA and Tidal on a smartphone

Part 4 Finale – A Summation That Doesn’t Always Add Up

STRATA-GEE – This is the fourth and final installment of our contemplation on the controversy swirling around MQA. I want to start by thanking Bill Leebens for the many, many…MANY hours he spent interviewing, speaking with his editor (me), writing, and rewriting these pieces. It was a lot of work that for him, I’m afraid, will largely be thankless, as one side or the other will decry his work. At the same time, Bill and I end up in a slightly different place and you can see some of my thoughts at the end of his piece. But none of that takes away from the herculean effort this topic represented and I am eternally grateful to Bill Leebens for his thoughtful approach.

See where we end up after weeks of study on MQA

[Read more…] about MQA Finale: Both Anti- and Pro- Forces Have Their Successes and Failures

SnapAV and Control4 are Rebranded as Snap One

by Leave a Comment

SnapAV and Control4 logo

SnapAV Execs Hindman & Vaughn Explain the Rationale Behind the Change to Strata-gee

Recently, in a special Zoom presentation for Strata-gee by SnapAV executives Jeff Hindman (Chief Revenue Officer) and Kordon Vaughn (VP Marketing), I was about to learn about the company’s new brand strategy going forward. Ever since SnapAV acquired their largest division, Control4, there has been much speculation about how to address the market with two strong, well-known brands. I joked, “So what’s it going to be…ControlAV or Snap4?

It turns out I wasn’t that far off, as the executives shared with me that they would be rebranding the organization as Snap One.

Learn more about how SnapAV became Snap One…

[Read more…] about SnapAV and Control4 are Rebranded as Snap One

Congress Prepares to Regulate Big Tech, Yet They Top ‘Most Trusted Brands’ Poll

by Leave a Comment

>Learn How to Improve Consumers’ Trust in Your Brand

Many political observers have declared the end of bi-partisanship, as the political right and left seem further apart than ever before in the history of the country. Yet there is one area where both parties agree, it is time to rein in the big tech players. Ironically, in a new poll of the 15 most trusted brands in the world, we find a lot of tech represented – including some of the Big Tech players. Is Congress out of step with the American people? And how important is “trust” to a company or brand anyway?

See the most trusted brands & how to improve yours…

[Read more…] about Congress Prepares to Regulate Big Tech, Yet They Top ‘Most Trusted Brands’ Poll

MQA Controversy – A True Audio Breakthrough? Or a Marketing Scam?

by 12 Comments

MQA uses a process they call music origami
MQA utilizes a process they call “Music Origami”
[Photo: By Laitche – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3244373}

Part 1 – A Bill Leebens Guest Post

STRATA-GEE: For some time now, I have been hearing rumbles throughout the audio community, particularly the high-end audio community, about controversy surrounding MQA (Master Quality Authentication) – a U.K. company that claims to have created a proprietary technology that allows for the delivery of “better than lossless” audio via certain streaming services. At first, it seemed like the Holy Grail of audio – delivering music that is identical to the original master recording into your earbuds via streaming services such as Tidal. Then the whispers started – “It sounds like it is too good to be true because it IS too good to be true.“

Recently, a YouTube video appeared that blew the doors of MQA dissent wide open and seems to show that MQA technology is NOT doing what the company claims and leaves many to conclude that MQA is little more than a thinly veiled marketing scam. The company pushed back…hard. I asked Bill Leebens to investigate the swirling whirlwind of controversy now engulfing MQA.

See more on our investigation into MQA…

[Read more…] about MQA Controversy – A True Audio Breakthrough? Or a Marketing Scam?

A/V Maker ClearOne Files Application for Trademark on ‘MAGA’

by 2 Comments

ClearOne wants to register this 4 letter acronym, MAGA, as their trademark
From ClearOne’s trademark registration application

Industry audio/visual manufacturer ClearOne [NASDAQ: CLRO] has filed an application to register a trademark on the characters “MAGA.” According to multiple comments on Twitter on the matter, ClearOne apparently intends for MAGA to represent Make Audio Great Again. This is very close to a political slogan that has became quite controversial in America. From the looks of the comment stream I saw on Twitter…this is going to be the topic of a lot of discussion.

See more on ClearOne and MAGA

[Read more…] about A/V Maker ClearOne Files Application for Trademark on ‘MAGA’

Top AudioControl AVRs and Pre/Pros are Now Certified Roon Ready

by Leave a Comment

AudioControl system with Roon

AudioControl announced this week that their top-rated X-Series audio/video receivers and preamp/processors are now certified to be Roon Ready. What this means is that these models can auto-discover and connect to Roon without any user or integrator involvement with advanced configuration steps.

See more on AudioControl and Roon…

[Read more…] about Top AudioControl AVRs and Pre/Pros are Now Certified Roon Ready