The document discusses Bang & Olufsen and how they have survived in the niche luxury electronics market. It notes that continuous high performance driven by competition and independence from internal politics has helped them. It also discusses how an emphasis on design and user-friendliness following Apple's success presents opportunities for Bang & Olufsen. However, the document warns that remaining successful can be more challenging than becoming successful, and that Bang & Olufsen struggled after losing touch with their target audience in the early 2000s, having to reorganize and lay off 300 employees as a result.

1. READ OUT LOUD
THE STORY BEHIND
BANG &
OLUFSEN
SURVIVING IN A NICHE MARKET

2. BEFORE YOU START….
please look into your camera and tell
us slowly your name, city and
country… Then you can start reading
this paragraph out loud… Have fun!

3. The competition forces them to
continuously perform at a high level.
Their independence ensures that they
are not held back by any internal
office politics.” A logical-sounding,
but bold concept that we also see in
Alessi.

4. Nowadays, design in combination
with user-friendliness has become
a hot issue – thanks to the success of
Apple. This should create plenty of
opportunity for Bang & Olufsen, you
could say. “I have a lot of respect for

5. the way in which Apple puts fantastic
products on the market. Thanks to
their explosive growth they are now
facing an important choice: should
they remain a rebel brand or should
they become a mass product?

6. Becoming successful is not the
greatest challenge; remaining
successful is. That applies to us too.
Due to our success we chose a path
that did not fit in with our core and
lost touch with our target group at

7. the start of the millennium. Our
company suffered. By 2008, we
reached a dip and were forced to
reorganize and fire 300 employees.
We will never make that mistake
again.

8. - END OF RECORDING-