We got the Beats

James was buying groceries a couple of weeks ago when he crossed paths in the checkout line with some dude wearing gold-encrusted Beats by Dre headphones draped around his neck.  A few years ago, a pair of headphones would have been an odd status symbol, but not anymore.

As this article explains, the premium headphone market has exploded, and one of the premier brands is Beats by Dre.  Their headphones are as much fashion accessory as listening device.  As one man in this article says, “If you’re wearing a pair of Beats, it says, ‘Music is really important in my life.’”

The marketing hook is that Beats let you listen to music the way the artists would want you to listen to music.  And Dr. Dre, with his track record as an artist and producer, is an ideal voice for that mantra.

This is an excellent example of a brand built around attributes (sound quality) but those attributes are still linked to high-level emotions.