Many NFL fans are familiar with Bose headphones because the league’s head coaches wear their audio equipment throughout every game. That's about it; aside from being the official headphone and headset provider of the NFL since 2014, the Framingham, Mass.-based private company tends not to publicly share much about its strategy and numbers.
During a talk organized on Wednesday by The Ad Club, Pat LaCroix, head of global media at Bose, shared insights on a few directions that the business is pursuing — and the message is clear: Bose is not only a headphone maker.
In recent years, the 55-year-old audio equipment provider founded by MIT professor Dr. Amar Gopal Bose in 1964 made moves in spaces such as fashion and augmented reality. In the sports department, Bose did not limit itself to the football field, but launched partnerships with Mercedes Formula One Team and with the U.S. ski and snowboard team. Overall, the company identified hearing loss and sleep wellness as two areas where they could find additional business opportunities.
We broke down LaCroix's one-hour-long speech into five takeaways. Here's what we heard is shaking at the audio company:
- "We now have sunglasses"
Marketed as "sunglasses with a soundtrack," the Frame sunglasses have built-in Bose speakers that allow users to listen to music or take calls. They're currently available for $199 as part of limited distribution in the U.S. and months away from larger distribution outside the U.S., LaCroix explained. "They're doing well," he said, declining to provide revenue information. In terms of strategy, the sunglasses not only signal a move into the fashion space, but also a possible step closer to the NBA, which is "very fashion-forward," LaCroix said.
2. Conversations with Amazon, Apple and Google are taking place
What else can headphone users do, besides listen to music? Here, the direction that Bose is seeing is connecting its wearable products to the cloud, investigating sectors such as smart navigation and location tracking. The point? Offering customers enhancements that they traditionally get from their phones. In 2018, a team of Amazon creatives produced this ad that shows a possible integration of Bose headphones with Amazon's voice-controlled assistant Alexa.
3. "The opportunity in Augmented Reality is audio"
All wearable devices made by Bose, including headphones and sunglasses, will start to become equipped with AR. Users will have a chance to activate contents through head motions, tabs or voice, LaCroix explained. Bose is working with developers to create AR-enhanced apps; at this year's South by Southwest conference, Bose showcased partnerships with Golfshot and the meditation app Headspace.
4. Selling FDA-approved hearing aid device
The Bose Hearing Aid, a device that is intended to amplify sounds for individuals with mild to moderate hearing impairment, was the first hearing aid authorized for marketing by the FDA enabling users to control the hearing aid without assistance from a health care provider. The FDA approved the Bose device in October 2018. Approximately 37.5 million adults aged 18 and over report having some trouble hearing without a hearing aid.
5. Working with Arianna Huffington to help people get better sleep
In the wellness space, Bose also sells noise-masking sleepbuds that can help customers fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, LaCroix said. They come pre-loaded with soothing sounds such as 'cascade' or 'campfire.' In October last year, through her company Thrive Global, media innovator and better sleep advocate Arianna Huffington partnered with Bose on the Unwanted Noise campaign, dedicated to helping people get a better night’s sleep.
