2021 Effies Quarterfinalist
Cancel the Competition
Bose will become the champion for the under-represented players of non-traditional sports.
The Challenge.
Position Bose as the headphones for adventure sports, bowling sports, roller sports, martial arts, i.e. the non-traditional fitness market.
The Insight.
Non-traditional sports require levels of focus equivalent or greater than mainstream sports, yet are sidelined by most brands.
The Idea.
Bose’s world class noise-cancelling gives non-traditional athletes the focus they need to succeed and the appreciation they deserve.
CHallenge + COntext
Audio brands are associated with specific fitness activities.
Bose faces lack of brand awareness due to their USP of noise-cancellation becoming commonplace in the audio market. Other competitors such as Beats have created strong cultural and feature ties with a wide variety of audiences. The 18-24 year old market has become attached to the social and cultural association with brands. Analyzing the sports market, audio brands have become attached to particular fitness activities. Workout headphones and sponsorships have created powerful associations of athleticism with mainstream sports. Non-mainstream sports such as bowling, badminton, roller skating, or martial arts have been neglected. By athletic association, Bose can establish themselves as the non-mainstream sports audio brand. The challenge is bringing awareness to non-traditional sports while having Bose as the associated vehicle.
Target Audience
Gen Z-ers value being individualistic but still want to be part of a collective.
Generation Z are tech natives who own the power of the consumer. They’re able to create and dissolve trends, which is no surprise since Instagram is they’re second-most used platform and 92% of Gen Z have access to a smartphone.4 This also allows them to quickly jump from one trend to the next, but once they are loyal to a brand they stay loyal. The Gen Z-ers who are playing nontraditional sports are a perfectly underrepresented group who are eager to share their talent and be claimed by a brand, since Gen Z loves being individualistic while still fitting into a group. As Bose focuses on repositioning themselves in the eyes of Gen Z, they will be able to meet the marketing goals outlined in this campaign and increase their consumer base.1
The Insight
Gen Z-ers watch non-traditional sports more than traditional but there’s no space for them in sports media.
Where two groups are being under-represented, we see opportunity. Bose lacks a specific brand personality and there is an open space in the market where no one is owning non-traditional sports. Research shows that half of Gen Z men surveyed spend more time following non-traditional sports (like bowling, pickleball, ping-pong, etc.) than traditional sports. They also think non-traditional sports are more relevant to their generation.9 Bose will be the brand to give non-traditional sports the same hype and attention as other high-intensity sports. Additionally, Bose’s multi-level noise-cancellation function matches up perfectly with Gen Z’s need for concentration and immersion during their non-traditional sport.1 Seeing that Bose doesn’t own a specific market and Gen Z is passionate about non-traditional sports, this is the perfect opportunity for Bose to reposition itself and increase sales.
Communication and Media strategy
Major sports channels will highlight non-traditional sports. Music services will introduce podcast specials. “No-sound” ads will be featured over social.
Starting September 2021, the NFL season will commence. Major sports broadcast services such as ESPN and FOX Sports begin to post more highlight videos - loved by over 49% of millennials 10.
In October, Bose will post highlight videos on these services’ Youtube channels featuring under-represented sports. Athletes like Lebron James, Chris Paul, David Beckham, and Rajon Rondo will play their non-mainstream sport: ping pong, bowling, fencing, and rollerskating, respectively in these videos 11. With over 56% of our target feeling that non-traditional are more relevant to them, these videos will quickly gain attention 9. The videos will feature short commentary from the player about the athleticism of the sport. Product placement and branding of these videos will cause viewers to see Bose as the headphones for non-traditional sports.
These highlight videos featuring famous athletes will quickly show up on the trending pages. Viewers will be directed to Bose’s store to purchase a product right on the Youtube video.The commentary will also entice viewers to hear the full story. We will direct them to hear our weekly podcast on Spotify, Apple Music and the Bose App. These podcasts will discuss athletes and the athleticism required for non-mainstream sports. Consumers can purchase the exact Bose product that helped the athlete focus the most right on the platform. We will also utilize Instagram ads highlighting non-traditional sports to target consumers who are not subscribed to sports channels. They will feature “no-sound” emphasizing that non-traditional sports require the intense focus that only the noise-cancellation of Bose can provide.These ads will also redirect viewers to our podcasts, Youtube videos, and the Bose’s store.
Due to the NFL season happening during the holidays, many people will be indoors and binge-watching. Most of our targeted audience will also be in school; many excited to watch college football. That excitement will carry over as they see our campaign. The target audience will be able to easily share our content with friends and family. The oddity of presenting non-mainstream sports seriously will lead to free promotion in the form of memes and gifs.The uniqueness of non-traditional sports will capture the attention of young people. The holiday season will also help consumers justify buying Bose products, whether it be for themselves or their non-traditional fitness friends. The landing page of Bose’s website will also show famous athletes and their favorite bose product in relation to their non-traditional sport.
Credits
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Michael Mallory
Strategist
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Cal Haynes
Copywriter
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Ashlyn Elggren
Art Director