Carl got a lot of work in terms of marketing his PHENOMENAL speakers and generating PR. Actually, he should copy some of Alon Wolf's actions in terms of getting the PR. One of the reasons Magico has grown so fast is because they are constantly talked about. As a result, a lot of people have heard Magicos. Many are crazy about them, many hate them, and many are indifferent – but at least people have heard them. Unfortunately, it's not so for Nola.
The following random thoughts will assure that more people will hear the Nolas:
He should also clearly identify the value proposition: with his speakers, you just hear the music - You turn them on and get lost. Screw the audiophile vocabulary; it’s only the music. Other than well set up MBLs and Scaenas, this is not an exaggeration, and is truly unique in high end. He doesn't need to talk about enclosures and measurements like magico or about adjustability like Wilson. Let the other schmocks talk about costs of parts, which only cheapen the brand value and have the customer focus on the markup and then seek a discount when purchasing. Instead, he should specifically target those audiophiles who want to get lost in the music vs. are interested in the technical aspects and measurements. This musicality, which comes across in his cheapest $1500 speakers to the most expensive, is what makes his gear unique, and he should pound this message harder than a young Mike Tyson working the heavy bag.
He also needs to let the voice of his fans out more into the ether. Just like the crazed Martin Logan fan club guys and Magico fan-boys, Carl needs to encourage the owners to talk about their experiences all over the web, and post more quotes on his site.
He must very carefully target reviewers. HP is his main go to guy for big price tag speakers. But HP is getting older and has only written 2 250 word reviews in the last year or so. Selecting a fair reviewer is very tricky. Robert Harley says that Magico is the best product he has heard in 23 years (whether you believe him or not is another story). Valin has previously slammed Nola and has called Carl's designs "old". Jacob Heilbrunn is a Wilson man. So is Fremer. He should be very careful trusting these guys who have entrenched tastes and loyalty to specific brands.
Instead, he should court new blood, the talented up and coming reviewers who can review the different sized and priced products in his lineup. He should stay constantly in touch with the reviewers to help them better experience the products so they can talk about it, as well as to create suspense about new products in the pipeline.
He should also do a better job of staggering in his reviews among the publications so his gear is always in the public eye. When his gear is not being reviewed, he (or his surrogates) should be attending shows and doing dealer visits to plug in the gaps. He also should post banner ads on the audiophile sites that would take the potential customer to beautiful, professional pictures of his speakers and testimonials from fans that discuss makes people’s mouths salivate.
All these should start a virtuous cycle of more people hearing the speakers, extolling their musicality, buying speakers, upgrading, sharing their passion with others, etc....
These are just a few random thoughts. In the end, using all media, fan comments, and shows, he must constantly communicate that his speakers convey emotions that music lovers yearn for and that owners of his speakers actually get those hairs on the back of their neck to stand up as they reach that nirvana. It will take hard work, but should be easier to do when you actually deliver on those promises as Nola speakers do.
