Beats: The Rhythm of Marketing

Nowadays all of us listen to music on a regular basis. We listen to music in our cars, homes, and even from overhead at grocery stores and retail shops. Most of us though use headphones or ear buds to listen to our music of choice. There are many different brands on the market, but one of the most prevalent brands is Beats by Dre. After reading a recent article from CNN, I decided it was time to put in my two cents on the popular headphones. Established in 2008 through a partnership with Monster Cable Products, the Beats by Dre brand quickly gained a significant hold over the headphone market with a 53% stake in 2011 according to Businessweek. I ask the questions though, “Are Beats by Dre really that good? Or is it just marketing?” I am an audio enthusiast and often get asked advice by friends and family about which headphones they should purchase. “I think I want a pair of those Beats headphones. What do you think?” This is a common question I am asked. My answer is always: No. Beats by Dre normally range in price from $200-$400 depending on the model. For your average consumer, this can be a hefty chuck of change, but there are some factors that might push to make a purchase. First, marketing can have a significant effect on demand from consumers. A company can produce a horrible quality product or one that you might not even knew you “needed.” If that product is well marketed though, it can sell like hot cakes. Second, quality can be a determining factor for a consumer to look at when purchasing a product. A product might be significantly more expensive than another of the same type, but if the quality is high a consumer might be persuaded into spending more money on that product. With keeping these two ideas in mind, lets look at Beats by Dre. First, Beats by Dre are EXTREMELY well marketed. They are everywhere from TV commercials and internet ads to dedicated retail store sections and celebrity endorsements from Lady Gaga, LeBron James, P. Diddy and of course Dr. Dre himself. Second, there is the quality of the headphones. Physical quality can very from model to model. The Beats Pro are made of aluminum gunmetal while models like the Studio and Solo HDs are made of plastic. While the quality is not that great, the marketing aspect out weighs this factor. More importantly though is the sound quality of the Beats, or lack thereof. Referring to Beats audio quality, Consumer Reports says, “You’re probably paying more for the Beats name…” Among audiophiles, beats are absolutely loathed. Tus-Chan, a member of the popular Head-Fi forum says, “To a lot of people, the fact that someone took our hobby and our industry and vastly perverted it to the public at large borders on offensive for a variety of reasons.” Even among audio enthusiasts and your average music connoisseur Beats are disliked. There are many other brands of headphones at much better prices that sound worlds better. Overall, you can see that when it relates to Beats by Dre, marketing outweighs quality and that is why they have been able to sell so well.