That's really interesting, I love learning about these manufacturing hurdles that consumers never hear about.
Consumers don't buy Beats because they're shinier though. They buy them because of the image that comes with them, thanks to a successful marketing and endorsement campaign.
That's why knock-off beats are everywhere in Hong Kong. Manufacturers can add a "b" to any old pair of over-ear headphones and they become much more valuable. Consumers value the "b"
>'Consumers don't buy Beats because they're shinier though. They buy them because of the image that comes with them, thanks to a successful marketing and endorsement campaign.'
Sure, but exceptional shine is exactly the sort of hard to replicate detail that maintains the brand value and sense of exclusivity they spent so much to build in the first place.
If I ask one of our high school age interns how to spot bootleg Beats, Jordans, fitted caps or whatever they'll run off a laundry list of incredible detail - shine, screws, stitching or some tiny seam that isn't quite flush.
They obsess over these things and would probably sooner have nothing than run the risk of being found guilty of the poverty / envy that wearing bootlegs would imply to among their peers.
To counterbalance, I think the Beats products look great and I've been tempted to buy them, but this very "image" around the brand sets me off greatly. That's the problem with endorsements, you end up wrangling your brand image with that of the celebrities endorsing your product.
Consumers don't buy Beats because they're shinier though. They buy them because of the image that comes with them, thanks to a successful marketing and endorsement campaign.
That's why knock-off beats are everywhere in Hong Kong. Manufacturers can add a "b" to any old pair of over-ear headphones and they become much more valuable. Consumers value the "b"