• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

McIntosh Marketing Question. . .

jrsystems, AudioClassics1, thoughtful insights. Neither myself nor the orginial poster recommended, or even suggested, that McIntosh reduce product quality or start advertising in Martha, Gourmet, or USA Today. We certainly did not recommend adopting a plan to compete with Bose or any other brand for that matter, regardless of price or preceived quality level. I never used the word advertising in my posts.

I believe what is being proposed is an improved Marketing concept to faciliate jrsystems's strategy of how many people go about selecting an audio system, i.e., do some research, set a budget, go shopping, and analyze options. Many believe, me included, that McIntosh could help in such a process if they would update and expand their web site, include complete product decsriptions and benefits, indicate prices, and consider issuing periodic newsletters to their registered owners.

There are many other 'cost-value' actions that McIntosh could consider taking but the above are examples. I am very satisfied with my current McIntosh system and would like to consider additional equipment in the future. However, I don't want to have to sell the family farm to buy it, own a fork lift to move it, or live in a bunker to store it.
 
The reasons McIntosh attends CES are many. First off it is a trade show where we display and have a series of meetings for specific groups. One night in the booth we had a meeting and reception for all of the US territory Representatives. Too bad Bill Gates was speaking downstairs and security would not let any one in for a few hours..
The next reception was with all of the international distributors which went well. These folks do about half of our total sales.
The next evening was the book signing event that over 250 invitees came to. This was a broad spectrum which included most of the audio press, many key and longtime dealers, retired ex-employees of merit, and of course music and film production folks from all over.
The following night for me was a dinner with more press and some other manufacturers in attendence. Other staff had private dinners with key business partners.
So, we go to CES because it is a trade show where the key trade people attend. This is not a Stereophile public show. The freight is large because we bring the big racks and the whole line so we can educate and walk folks through it in a logical fashion.

Thanks,
Ron-C
 
Ryan brought up a good point. Most of the Mac customers are slipping into middle age or older. I'm sure McIntosh has figured out where the next generation of customers will come from and are moving in that direction.
 
I don't have an issue with McIntosh being owned by two different Japanese companies for the past 15 years. It's been good for the company, as it has given them the capital necessary to invest in new products. (Just take a look at how far McIntosh products has come in the past 15 years.) I also don't really have an issue with McIntosh attending CES. (I'd be disappointed if they didn't attend.)

I am, however, disappointed at how McIntosh will spends thousands of dollars to go to CES to educate and (hopefully) listen to dealers, but is not listening to their customers on free forums such as this one. Marketing is about listening to customers to drive product, as well as delivering a message outward. It's not about pushing product through dealers. Gordon Gow understood this, as I have many (fond) memories of meeting the man at my local dealer when he came to talk about new products and to LISTEN to customers for input for future ones. These days, instead of listening we seem to be told that we don't need what we want or it's just a latest "buzzword". Quite frankly, the responses I've seen here from McIntosh seem to reflect more of a sales attitude, than that of marketing.

Does McIntosh really have a dedicated marketing department? If so, are they responsible for product definition and management?
 
william.keith said:
High prices and weight are a problem with many people. Why not better cultivate your existing customers with products that are reasonable in price and handling and try to introduce the brand to a broader base of potential customers?
Click to expand...
Sansui, Pioneer and few others tried that. They're all either out of business, or only selling mass market garbage.:tears:
 
Quote:
"I'm sure McIntosh has figured out where the next generation of customers will come from and are moving in that direction."


I didn't see many pieces of McIntosh gear in the photos of the 2007 CES show (provided by stereopal) that many '20 something' will be buying anytime soon.
 
We do know this, consumers want an enjoyable easy to use product that sounds great and has a beautiful picture. Dealers want a reliable product that interfaces well with with other systems and is easy to install. When we follow these guide lines the company does very well.

Thanks,
Ron-C
 
ron-c, I agree with everything you say. That is why I own McIntosh. Now I just need to figure out where I'm going to get the possible $20 - 40k to move from 2-channel to surround/DVD and avoid something becoming obsolete anytime soon.
 
AudioClassics1 said:
This whole thread does bring up very interesting topics. For us, McIntosh is our anchor, making up over 50% of our annual sales. (new and used) For a dealer to be so reliant upon one manufacturer should be stressful. However, it is McIntosh...the ONLY manufacturer left from 50 years ago that has not gone mass production or just plain disappeared. In fact, McIntosh is the ONLY product that actually gains value! That said, here are a few of our concerns as dealers...

1. The majority of our customers are 50+. We do not see many young people coming in lusting over the McIntosh. When our current customers were young, they did lust over McIntosh and eventually invested in the product. The younger generation now is about Surround and i-pods. But also think about this from the prospective of McIntosh....who is going to be able to afford the current product? Most likely not people in their 20's unless life has been extremely good to them. I think that this is where a dealer such as ourselves does help at times. Since we offer the used products, with a warranty, people can purchase items at a decent price without having to do a home equity loan or any major financial move. We do highlight the McIntosh line because all of us here believe in it, own it and truley love it! To actually have a younger person purchase a McIntosh system and covet it, is what gets us up in the morning.

2. There is not a whole lot of advertising for McIntosh. This has been this way for years. Gordon Gow never believed in it. His belief was to let the product speak for itself...and obviously it has! That said, McIntosh used to use a sales company for years, that would keep a detailed list of all McIntosh owners. When a new product came out, there would be a mass mailing to the current customers. They also made sure that all dealers had all of the literature and info on all products before they came out. McIntosh made sure that every customer in a dealers territory was well informed & the dealer was even more informed. IMHO some of these practices should be considered again. If a manufacturer keeps dealers well informed & up to date...then the enthusiasm remains high....and as anyone in sales knows, it is easier to sell something that you love and have passion for! The McMasters program is one great step forward for the dealer network. No one can walk out of that program, disliking the product in any way.

marketing is much more than advertising, that is for sure. Over the years, McIntosh has kept the most desirable aspects of their products (glass front, meters, power guard, auto former ......) This is all steps of marketing that have worked extremely well. I am sure that there will be more steps. We all know that Mcintosh is here for the long haul. I have been nothing short of impressed with the influence of D&M holdings. They have invested large sums of money to make McIntosh even better....without going mass market in any way. I think that since the MC352 was introduced, McIntosh has raised the bar in audio, and they continue to raise the bar. This CES was the best showing so far for McIntosh (in my opinion) What will the future bring?....more sweet effortless McIntosh sound!
Click to expand...
Very interesting.

I guess I'm pretty lucky to have a MA6500 and MCD201 in my 20's ;)

The other funny thing is that I'm more informed on mac than my dealer.

And the only problem with mac marketing IMHO is the website needs to be updated big time. And there should be more large images like on www.mcintosh.net.au
 
That's another reason to ask about whether there is a true marketing department at McIntosh. The Website should an up-to-date communication vehicle and it's not. It's disappointing to hear that McIntosh put more priority in getting the information to the dealers more than to the end customer who pays the bills. Why not better educate both parties at the same time through the Website?
 
In terms of McIntosh's products, even though they are slow in introducing new technologies, I think in general they have been moving in a good direction. Not only have the caliber of their products increased significantly over what was available even 10 years ago, but exploring new areas like video systems and music servers is a smart move to keep up with today's market.
However, McIntosh's marketing is nothing short of horrendous, and they should be embarrassed. Their website is truly an insult to the products that are coming out of the factory. In the last few years, McIntosh has been very trendy to own. Just look at the value of used McIntosh equipment on Audiogon; it speaks volumes. A huge core of McIntosh customers are the loyal people that have purchased them all along, but are, as stated earlier in this thread, in the 50+ range. What happens when that generation is gone? McIntosh has a product line that can be marketed to any adult age group, and 50+ is not the only demographic with money anymore, nor is 50+ the age group for people that follow a trend, because for one they likely know about the product already. By not taking advantage of the current buzz over their product line and advertising in ways that reach a new generation of audiophiles, McIntosh is essentially committing suicide. They have the right products, but the wrong people getting the word out. McIntosh could be a lot larger than it is now if they paid more attention to the customer rather than just relying on them.
 
I'm agree with you but i find you unfair because all days you can discuss with Ron about the MC product and he give you a lot of informations, i say it's great marketing for the AK community
 
Josh, who said our customers are all over 50 years old? That may be one dealer's opinion but McIntosh did not state this. I see young people everywhere running around with a speaker in each year and someday they will be great customers for McIntosh. They may be on a bicycle now but some day they will have whatever home system they want. Might be driving a BMW or Caddie by then though, Ha!
The McIntosh dealer is key to our success since they must present the product to the consumer, install it and complete the interface with the rest of the home. Trade shows, McMasters training, etc. is all about enhancing the dealer's performance which equals customer satisfaction.

Thanks,
Ron-C
 
jefparis said:
I'm agree with you but i find you unfair because all days you can discuss with Ron about the MC product and he give you a lot of informations, i say it's great marketing for the AK community
Click to expand...

Not everyone knows about this place this place though, nor is everyone necessarily interested in acquiring information about products through a question and answer session on a web forum. While it is great that Ron is here, most of the people that participate in this forum already own the product. The balance of the AK members outside of the McIntosh forum are more interested in what piece of equipment they can buy next at a garage sale or find in someone's trash can. The people buying new products exist here in very small numbers.
 
ron-c said:
Josh, who said our customers are all over 50 years old? That may be one dealer's opinion but McIntosh did not state this. I see young people everywhere running around with a speaker in each year and someday they will be great customers for McIntosh. They may be on a bicycle now but some day they will have whatever home system they want. Might be driving a BMW or Caddie by then though, Ha!
The McIntosh dealer is key to our success since they must present the product to the consumer, install it and complete the interface with the rest of the home. Trade shows, McMasters training, etc. is all about enhancing the dealer's performance which equals customer satisfaction.

Thanks,
Ron-C
Click to expand...

Honestly, I think this extends beyond the dealer. In the information age, relying so heavily on brick and mortar stores is not the way to reach the audience anymore. This has been proven all too well. Everyone hates a salesman, and with the internet, they no longer have to visit a store to purchase or learn about products. It is up to you guys to give people a reason to want to visit these places, or even learn about the brand to begin with. The dealer is just that, the dealer; not the manufacturer nor the marketer.
 
Good points. We talk to consumers all day from all over the world. I have answered emails from Europe, Australia, Iran, all over the US in the past 24 hours. We support older products and have tech and service communications open to the new and used customer. Obviously many first time McIntosh customers are buying used but they are part of the family and deserve to be treated as such.
We had a customer ask about transformer compatibility between the MC75 and MI75 this morning. He had the correct answer in a few hours. How many companies will answer an inter-model parts compatibility question on products that are 40 years old?

Thanks,
Ron-C
 
Sounds like things are getting heated... We are all here because we love this stuff! Not everything is perfect but in the end, going home and turning on the big blue meters & forgetting the day while listening to sweet music is what this is all about. :music: McIntosh is still the best to me and always will be. The fact that we all contribute to this site every day shows the passion of McIntosh owners.
 
Josh said:
Not everyone knows about this place this place though, nor is everyone necessarily interested in acquiring information about products through a question and answer session on a web forum. While it is great that Ron is here, most of the people that participate in this forum already own the product. The balance of the AK members outside of the McIntosh forum are more interested in what piece of equipment they can buy next at a garage sale or find in someone's trash can. The people buying new products exist here in very small numbers.
Click to expand...
Sorry but before to buy a new equipment, i read some forum to get the experience of users, to know if the product is great.
Before to buy my first MC product, i discussed with Ron by email a Sunday morning at US time!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom