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About AudioEnz |
Dealing with the Dealers
"Interesting" demonstrations make Max think
By Max Christoffersen
February 2001
"So what do you think?"
I had just walked out of a home theatre demonstration room for a major retail chain and the salesman was eager to chat to a potential customer.
"What do I think?" I said..
"Yes - the home theatre system - it's great isn't it? It's just like being at the movies."
"Uh yeah..it's interesting to say the least..." was my honest reply.
I had just witnessed the most unprofessional, incompetent and technically deficient demonstration of home theatre products I had ever experienced.
This 'home theatre system' was in a small room with an audible earth hum coming from the centre channel speaker, the DVD image was distorted (wrong output); the centre channel was off centre, the surround speaker wasn't calibrated and there were a dozen unused components scattered about the room and floor.
"What did I think?" Well I can't repeat what I really thought, but I'm sure you can imagine.
Politely, I did think - 'why do you bother?' Here were world class components from Onkyo, B&W and Pioneer all being put on show in a manner that would put me off the purchase, not make a sale. The earth hum alone made dialogue impossible to follow and the distortion of the LB DVD image on a 4:3 TV (set to the wrong output) was enough to make me think these guys should stick to microwaves and fridges.
I was tempted to make a few pointers, but the fact is they are the professionals and I am the consumer. Who was I to tell them their business?
Over the past 10 years, in a bid to move products and gain market share, New Zealand distributors have made sure their gear is available throughout the country in major retail chains. I understand that this is business. And business in a small market like New Zealand is tight. But I would have loved to have got the managing directors of the companies who put their product into this demonstration room and ask them if they thought they were well represented.
I know the answer to that one.
If it was my product and my company's reputation I would have removed it from the store immediately. And made sure they used my competitor's products instead.
Now that is marketing strategy...
The experience confirmed to me, that something needs to be done in NZ audio retailing to improve the training, product knowledge and awareness of home theatre at the chain stores. The scenario described above is not isolated, it is the norm.
But audio is a funny game. Brand value is everything in some sectors. You won't find Proceed, Tag McLaren, Meridian or Martin Logan cluttering up the floor space of the major discount retailers. Why? Sure price point is key. But these companies also place great weight on protecting the perception of brand value.
They believe in the perception of quality and in pride of ownership. And brand value has been eroding. I no longer think of Denon in the same way I once did. Denon is also available at the same retail chain.
And when you see some of the other names on show at the chain stores it begs the question of how far can they go up the product line? "Can I get the B&W Nautilus for a home demo please, or what about the JBL Synthesis or the Sony SACD system?"
Would you trust the advice from these retailers to know the essential technical and performance points of such components? If not why do we with anything else? The simple fact is that most of the chain retailers are ill prepared, under qualified and less than passionate about audio.
And it shows in presentations like the one I experienced.
Sure, price points of products have been steadily eroding for years. The bang for the buck has never been better and what was once mid-to high-end is now entry-level performance. But my point is, is it really for the better for us as consumers?
Okay -why not put all this name-brand product in front of an increasingly eager and informed market.
I'll tell you why. Because it doesn't work. You can not maintain brand value when you sell to the lowest common denominator and I for one have felt genuinely saddened by the proliferation of name products in retail stores that promptly place it next to the lawnmower display.
For the past decade I have watched the decline of audio retailing in NZ to be replaced by the chain store scenarios I have described above.
I wonder how long it will be before the movers and shakers in the New Zealand audio scene actually look at what is happening to their product; because going downmarket is a one-way street.
I will know that New Zealand audio has really lost the plot when Plinius is being sold through a major chain with a discounted price and 'a cherry on top.'
Footnote: I went back to check the very same store that is the subject of this column. The earth hum is till there, six weeks after the demonstration described above took place.
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