Sonos Seeker to Reach More Consumers ‘Who Would Never Buy a Receiver’

In an effort to grab more of the mainstream market, Sonos has revamped its marketing strategy, including a re-branding of its product line, Tom Cullen, vice president of sales and marketing, told us Monday. The announcement coincides with the release of the Play:3 a new audio system that combines three “smart” speakers -- each packing three drivers that can play in mono or stereo mode -- SonosNet wireless mesh networking technology and a digital amplifier. The $299 system links to the Internet for music streaming via a $49 bridge that connects to the home router, and brings a three-room Sonos system down to a new and more affordable price point. The Play:3 begins shipping worldwide on Wednesday, and will sell direct from Sonos and through specialty AV dealers and larger retailers including Sixth Ave. Electronics, J&R, Best Buy, Amazon and Crutchfield, Cullen said. Part of the new marketing plan is a retail display with “fully functioning” systems, he said.

A challenge for Sonos since its founding in 2002 has been to explain the product to its target audience: music lovers who want music throughout the house in a convenient playback model that’s simple to set up, Cullen said. “We're targeting music lovers who won’t ever buy a receiver,” he said. Sonos systems play consumers’ own libraries over the Sonos mesh network and stream Internet music services to players in rooms where consumers want music. The revamped 2011 marketing strategy conveys what the components of the Sonos system do rather than use technical-sounding model numbers like ZonePlayer. The S5 is now the Play:5, explaining “what it does,” Cullen said. Sonos zone players have been renamed to differentiate them from each other, too, he said. The old ZonePlayer 120 is now the Connect:Amp since it packs an amplifier and is a media player as well. The ZonePlayer 90, which doesn’t have an internal amplifier, is now just called the Connect, Cullen noted. “We're learning to speak in a simpler way,” he said. As part of the overhaul, Sonos is moving away from its traditional white look to black finishes.

Sonos also announced an upgraded Android app that adds support for nine languages, Cullen said. Although Sonos sells a $349 touchscreen controller for the system, the company began moving toward apps several years ago, which allows users to control the system from their smartphone or tablet. It also gives Sonos power to add control features. Cullen showed us how consumers can create a stereo pair of speakers in software using the Sonos iPad app for multi-room flexibility. A speaker can play on its own, say, in a bedroom, as a one-cabinet stereo speaker since each packs two midrange drivers, a tweeter and a bass radiator. But if the user wants to beef up the sound by combining speakers into a more powerful stereo system, they can do that in software, he said. “Every Sonos player has a lot of intelligence inside,” he said. Cullen wouldn’t disclose the amplifier power rating in conventional watts-per-channel specs, saying “it doesn’t mean much” in Sonos’ proprietary world. “The main event is the sound-pressure level, and we have a lot,” he said.

With all the major streaming services covered, including Spotify, and a menu of products to fit a basic set of configurations, Cullen said Sonos is where it needs to be on the feature side. “We'll keep looking at new places to go rather than adding functionality,” he said. Cullen credits music streaming over portable devices for much of the growing popularity for music streaming, and now he wants to extend streaming throughout the home. “Our focus is old school, and we want to bring hi-fi back,” he said. “It’s time to listen out loud again.”