The document provides an exploratory review and recommendations for Audible to improve their business. It summarizes that Audible has a great product but needs to generate more engagement through additional tiers of membership and content options. It recommends uniquely branding Audible rather than just audiobooks, leveraging existing content through improved user experience and added content categories. Further marketing through niche media channels and utilizing power users as advocates could help expand Audible's reach.

1. EXPLORATORY REVIEW FOR DISCUSSION PREPARED BY:
LUCILLE DEHART
LUCYDEHART@COMCAST.NET
WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/LUCYDEHART

2. AUDIBLE REVIEW, NOTES & OBSERVATIONS:
 OVERVIEW
 COMPETITION
 CURRENT BRANDING
 CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
 INITIAL THOUGHTS/RECOMMENDATIONS

3. OVERVIEW:
Audible Inc. is a seller and producer of spoken audio entertainment, information, and educational programming on
the Internet. Audible sells digital audiobooks, radio and TV programs, and audio versions of magazines and
newspapers. Through its production arm, Audible Studios, Audible has also become the world's largest producer of
downloadable audiobooks. On January 31, 2008 Amazon.com announced it would buy Audible for about 300 million
USD. The deal closed in March 2008 and Audible became a subsidiary of Amazon. The company is based in Newark,
New Jersey's 1 Washington Park high rise office building. Audible is the United States' largest audio book producer
and retailer..
With over 150,000 audio programs, Audible provides a virtual library of content that works across tablet, desktop
and mobile devices. Most notably, it features a sync function to make the content compatible across Amazon
items. The company, in essence, is the reinvention of the book-of-the-month club, providing a monthly
subscription agreement for $14.95/mo. and a 30% discount on content thereafter.
Audible is a subsidiary of Amazon and requires payment processing through your Amazon account; although,
Amazon does still provide other audio services through Whisper Sync and Kindle Unlimited. There are other
competitors in the space as well and similar content/products are available through the apple store.

4. COMPETITION:
Audible is ranked among the top of its competition with the largest library, customer
experience/rated ease of use and related features like free samples and Amazon one pay.

5. CURRENT BRANDING:
Stories that surround you
Books that speak to you
Proposition:
Convenience, savings, time
Multi-tasking benefits:
Chores, commute, work out
Assessment:
Highly visual, speaks to imagination and audio book benefits, but is
generic to category—not specific to audible

6. CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE:
First time users may find it a little confusing to navigate through
the initial purchase path. While the site and business concept
seem intuitive, customers are not immediately aware that they
need an Amazon account to participate or need to create one
until check out; nor are they clear that they cannot make the
transaction on the Audible site. The site mirrors a streaming
service layout and is very visual, but can be overwhelming,
again, for new to category consumers.

7. INITIAL THOUGHTS & RECOMMENDATIONS:
 Update home page of web site for first time user or returning user paths
 First time path should have some guidelines to set up account and how to use site
 Returning customers can have the current site experience
 On line reviews and feedback indicates that monthly fee structure is not best value at $14.95;
perhaps offer single purchase selections-follow with CRM campaign-or 6 books a year vs 12
 Need better marketing on custom content like celebrity participants
 Positioning content by user group or profile personalization would be more impactful—business
book user, time saver, student
 Niche services could be powerful to drive increased engagement like unlimited daily mediations, 10
minute yoga, office de-stress, motivational speeches, famous historical speeches or even live
streaming TV shows (like satellite radio)—the added value feature is not obvious until you join
FIRST TIME USER
MEMBER

8. INITIAL THOUGHTS & RECOMMENDATIONS:
 Stronger cross promotion to subscribe to Audible on Amazon is an opportunity as well;
better integration and incentive to leverage Amazon site traffic & new store test concepts
 Channeling sales through subscriptions and Amazon customers narrows the total market
base—students, gift givers, elderly are also segments and non Amazon customers as well
 Gift card program through retailers for new user acquisition
 Partner with Xfinity and other on demand services to offer an Audible channel
AUDIBLE

9. THOUGHTS & RECOMMENDATIONS--BRAND/POSITIONING CONCEPT:
listen to your needs-at audible, we hear you
CREATE SEGMENTED SPOTS ACROSS ALIGNED MEDIA CHANNELS TO TARGET END USER WHILE UNIQUELY
BRANDING AUDIBLE THROUGH EASE, SELECTION, ADDED VALUE CONTENT:
ELDERLY VIA SHORT FORM DRTV—POOR EYE SIGHT
BUSY MOM THROUGH FACEBOOK MEDIA—NO TIME
COMMUTER/YOUNG PROFESSIONAL STREAMING MEDIA—FLEXIBILITY AND GETTING AHEAD
NICHE CONTENT WITH DISPLAY—DAILY DOSE

10. INITIAL THOUGHTS &
RECOMMENDATIONS:
ENGAGE USE THROUGH SHORT
CONTENT OPTIONS FOR FREE, AS
INITIAL FREE SELECTION AND
BOOK SEARCH TAKES TIME AND
CAN DISCOURAGE IMMEDIATE
CONTENT CONSUMPTION.
PERHAPS ADDITIONAL SORTS (as
concentration levels may vary) BY:
 TRAIN/COMMUTE
 BEACH/RELAXATION
 ACTIVE FITNESS
 COOKING TIME/CHORES

11. INITIAL THOUGHTS & RECOMMENDATIONS:
NICHE MEDIA
CHANNELS AND 2 MIN
SHORT FORM DR
GIFT AN AUDIBLE BOOK
FEATURE, DIGITAL
MARKETING, FACEBOOK
CAMPAIGN
AUDIBLE BOOK CLUBS,
INFLUENCER READER
BLOGS AND REVIEWS;
AMAZON AFFILIATES TO
GENERATE NEW TRAFFIC

12. SUMMARY:
 GREAT PRODUCT AND CONSUMER RANKING
 NEED TO GENERATE PROFITABLE TIERS OF ENGAGEMENT/USE
 MUST UNIQUELY BRAND AUDIBLE, NOT JUST AUDIO BOOKS
 BETTER LEVERAGE EXISTING CONTENT WITH UX (USER EXPERIENCE) AND
ADDED MENU SELECTIONS FOR FREE STREAMING AND CELEBRITY
OPTIONS
 ENCOURAGE IMMEDIATE ENGAGEMENT/USE
 LEVERAGE OTHER MEDIA CHANNELS FOR STRONGER
EDUCATION/MESSAGING LIKE DRTV
 UTILIZE POWER USERS AS ADVOCATES
 EXPAND RETAIL DISTRIBUTION EXPOSURE—GIFT CARDS/COSTCO/ETC.