Strategy in TECH...
Monster Products Inc. announced today that it has cut a deal with basketball superstar Shaquille O’Neal to endorse and otherwise market select Monster-branded products. The company says that O’Neal will aid in the marketing of Monster products in multiple categories “from personal audio to headphones and beyond.”
Two well-known and established sales representative firms in the state of Michigan have merged their companies into one larger and better resourced entity. Both firms, Boyle Sales and TWC Michigan, have substantial dealer networks throughout the state and represent and support respected lines of top manufacturers in the consumer electronics industry. The new merged organization promises to be one of the top specialty electronics reps in the state.
Not having learned their lesson last time, AV Nation once again invited me to participate in the latest edition of their AV Week webcast to discuss the hot A/V topics of the day. Also appearing in this week’s episode of AV Week was Sam Malik of ASK Proxima and Kevin Iselli of Crestron Electronics. And, of course, AV Week is hosted by the incomparable Tim Albright, founder of AV Nation.
The Home Technology Specialists of America (HTSA) on Tuesday announced their top vendor awards for 2013. These awards were handed out at their Fall 2013 dealer conference held last week and included a special Lifetime Achievement Award.
New research from Salesforce.com in conjunction with The TAS Group has recently uncovered some surprising data about the sales process. Having conducted a survey from a wide variety of industries, the company has created a report and infographic called 10 Things Every Sales Manager Should Know About Sales Performance. Suffice it to say that they have discovered some surprising truths about sales in today’s economy.
JD Pro, an integrator based in Staten Island, New York, has made what many would consider an unusual step – taking their successful, primarily commercial integration business and expanding it into the consumer retail market space. This step, which many would consider suicidal in the brutal New York Metro consumer electronics retail market, makes perfect sense to JD Pro’s owner – especially when you consider the unique position that their company has held from the day it was founded.
Lenbrook America held a media event last week in Manhattan where they announced the birth of a new brand of multi-room wireless (and wired) music streaming systems called Bluesound. Bluesound is designed to be positioned above brands like Sonos in terms of price and performance…but tuck underneath some of the higher-end solutions such as those offered by NAD and others. The company hopes to create a profitable step-up market for higher priced, better performing solutions in the digital domain – as once existed in the analog realm years back.
Last week, I witnessed a miracle. The miracle was…a birth. It was a birth like no other, as every proud parent believes is the case with THEIR child. There was a proud Papa…and a large assembled family…brought together to celebrate the event.
This birth, like any birth, was wondrous. And…for the parents…this was an event full of hopes and dreams of what their “bundle of joy” will become. At this joyous event was a group of observers, like me. But not like me.
As D+M Group (formerly D&M Holdings) continues to work on improving their efficiencies through restructuring and consolidation, well-known industry executive Stephen Shenefield leaves the company to pursue new opportunities. Shenefield originally joined the company to help with the re-invigoration of their Boston Acoustics brand, but went on to see his involvement expanded into related products under the Denon nameplate as well.
After only a little more than one year in operation, AudioXperts – a new specialty brand of audio electronics targeted at the luxury consumer market – has closed down operations. According to AudioXperts President Eli Harary, the company was forced to shut down last Friday after a key investor stopped all funding.
