Strategy in TECH...
We continue on with our new Strata-SERIES:RMR Programs series of articles. Smack dab in the middle of Manhattan you’ll find Union Square and in Union Square you’ll find Cloud9 Smart, a leading New York City integrator in both commercial and residential installations.
[Note: this article is part of a series and will make more sense if you read Installment 1 first. You can find it at this link…]
When given the assignment to check up on the state of recurring monthly revenue (RMR) programs, it seemed like a pretty straightforward task. After all, everybody embraces RMR…right? We began by randomly reaching out to custom integrators around the country – including a few large, high revenue businesses. The simple request…tell us about your RMR program.
[This is the first post in a series of articles we call Strata-SERIES: RMR Programs. Read about why we created this series here…]
Have you seen the December issue of Residential Systems Magazine? I wrote the cover story, “Maintaining Customer Joy” (online as: “Maintaining Customer Joy Through Service Plans“), a detailed article about the benefits and challenges of implementing a recurring monthly revenue (RMR) program in an integration company. In that story, I interviewed four top integrators who all had successful RMR programs, about the trials and tribulations of establishing that program…and the benefits they derived from it.
In researching RMR programs, I learned that they are much more than a revenue stream – they literally redefine the relationship with the client. I had uncovered more than I expected…so much more…
In what many in the industry are suggesting is yet another indicator of struggles at Gibson Brands, the company announced a little over a week ago that it would wind down operations at Cakewalk Inc., a popular music creation software company it owns. Music industry-centric websites around the internet exploded with largely critical coverage of the move, and comments on Cakewalk’s website are decidedly negative – both sad and angry – as customers seek to process the shocking news.
[Read more…] about Gibson Stuns the Music World, Shuts Down Cakewalk
Let me see if I can get your attention right now: 76% of all U.S. consumers purchased a product they first discovered in a social media post.
Let that sink in for a minute…digest it a little. Now WAKE UP! Nearly 8 out of 10 Americans bought a brand’s product that they first discovered in a social media post. If ever there was a time to tune-up your social media marketing strategy…it’s now. What’s that you say? You DON’T HAVE a social media marketing strategy?? No worries…you’re only missing out on about 8 out of 10 consumers in the market. I’m sure you’ll be fine…NOT!
Quirky Shinola, the scrappy Detroit, MI-based manufacturer of an eclectic collection of disconnected product lines, including watches, bicycles, leather goods, jewelry and, now, audio, has introduced a line of headphones, including over-ear, on-ear, and in-ear models. The company, which is owned by Bedrock Manufacturing Company, LLC, is as much an experiment in bringing manufacturing back to bankrupt Detroit, as it is a power brand.
Gibson Brands, Inc. has reached an agreement to sell its property on a half-acre in the North Gulch area of Nashville, TN to a private equity group for $6.38 million, according to a report by the Tennessean. The property includes an unused Gibson warehouse. The purchase was by Somera Road Inc., who worked in partnership with Tricera Capital, a Miami, FL private equity company.
[Read more…] about Gibson Brands: Putting Its Assets On the Line
Recent developments have thrust Gibson Brands back into the spotlight once again – a spot that CEO Henry Juszkiewicz doesn’t particularly enjoy, unless he’s there on his own terms. But this time, two tidbits of news have conspired to bring Gibson, and their financial challenges to the fore. And as we try to digest all of this, it’s clear that Gibson is continuing to show signs of strain due to sluggish results from its aggressive diversification into consumer electronics jeopardizing its ability to deal with looming huge debt payments on the loans used to acquire CE brands.
Korean media is reporting that a nasty fight has erupted in South Korea, where Samsung has uploaded a video that compares its QLED screen versus an LG OLED screen. The slickly produced comparison video allegedly shows “image retention” (commonly called burn-in over here) on the OLED screen after gamers play on both screens for twelve hours straight. LG, understandably, cries foul…
We have now confirmed that at the end of the day last Friday, October 6th, the Classé headquarters facility was in fact closed by Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) for the last time and all remaining employees were dismissed. This move is a sad and sobering end to a once proud brand celebrated by many audiophiles as one of the finest performing lines of high-end electronics available.
